InterContinental Chicago | The Most Beautiful Places in Chicago with Geoffrey Baer

InterContinental Chicago

This 1929-era hotel on the Magnificent Mile was originally called the Medinah Athletic Club and was designed to be a gathering place for members of the Shriners’ fraternal organization. Decorating its limestone façade are relief sculptures in a pseudo-Mesopotamian motif. When it was first constructed, it had quite the amenities. According to the Historic Hotels of America, the building had a massive pool, mini-golf course, bowling alley, archery and shooting ranges, billiards hall, and more. The website writes that the building was criticized for its “decadence” and couldn’t fill its guest rooms, so the club filed for bankruptcy in 1934. The building became the Continental Hotel and Town Club of Chicago a decade after that. In 1989, the space once again took on new life as Hotel InterContinental. Some of the ornate details in the hotel have since been restored. There is still a glamorous art deco pool, though you won’t find an archery range anymore.