The Lake View House/Hotel
the original the home of Elisha Hundley
with a lakefront view between Grace
& Byron (Sheridan Road) streets
Operated between July 4, 1854-1890ish
The hotel was initial referred to as the Lake View House
The hotel was initial referred to as the Lake View House
- a boarding house for travelers
photo - Art Institute of Chicago
several additions were constructed prior to 1890
several additions were constructed prior to 1890
Some History of its Beginnings
This 1851 map shows the geographical landscape two years before EE Hundley built is house within the then Township of Ridgeway with a population of 445 settlers
a zoomed view belowX marks the spot of the general location of EE Hundley's home
This text below is from the publication called Lake View Saga (1847-1985) indicating the Elisha's home was to be used as an
instrument for real estate sales for the travelers who boarded there
A visitor named Walter Newberry legendarily coined the old Huntley Home. He stated that that this "watering hole" had a unencumbered view of the lake and that this boarding house should be called
‘The Lake View House’ due to its unique location next to the then existing lakefront - that was positioned on top of a bluff with a pebble beach below. According to legend the new name of Elisha Hundley home 'Lake View' caught-on and the Community of Lake View was to be coined and later used in 1857 to be a township established by the citizens of the area. Both Mr. James Ree & Elisa Hundley used their boarding house/hotel to attract visiting land speculators and wealthy Chicagoans who wished to escape the social and legal restraints of their city life.
Room Boarding at the Hotel
with assistance from a historican Todd Cannon
text from the Chicago Public Library newspaper section online
1864 May 14th
1864 June 14th
and below 1865 January 9th
HOTEL FOR SALE ...
A Boat Ride to the Hotel in 1866
Apparently, the building was sold again in 1868
and resold a few more times before it
apparently was demolished by 1890
This map highlights the location of the hotel along Grace Street
The 4th of July Dinner
A 1854 article below indicates an investment in Lake View by surveyor James Rees and his friend Elisha Hundley in a subdivision called Pine Grove - today Lake View East
James H. Rees
EE Hundley' partner
image - Chicago Title and Insurance Company
Lake View Becomes a Township in 1857
1862 Township Map
W.L. Flower Map-Library of Congress
W.L. Flower Map-Library of Congress
The View from the Hotel
1867 illustrated view
Chicago and Midwest Collection-Newberry Library
about the view ...
Chicago and Midwest Collection-Newberry Library
Apparently, this is a view looking south from roughly where Inner Lake Shore Drive and Grace intersect as of 1867 and probably drawn from the Lake View Hotel.
My Framed Lithograph
The Route to the Lake View House/Hotel
A Perspective from the
a publication about the years 1857-1974
The Plank Road to the Hotel in 1870
The owners of the hotel needed a better route to the hotel
sectional 1
sectional 2
the zoomed map below highlights the name of the plank road as
Lake Shore Plank Road (Broadway)
A Reference to the Hotel
& New Roadway alone the lake in 1874
The Lake View Hotel Property No Longer
The Lake View Rifle Club
was established in 1870 on the former hotel grounds
text - Marquis Handbook of Chicago 1885
photo below - Ebay and now part of my collection
The Neighborhood Changed a Little ...
A decade or so later a roadway was constructed in front of the razed Huntley House/Lake View Hotel to be named later named Sheridan Road
by 1898. It was initially designed for the extension of North-Lake Shore Drive
but after General Sheridan death in mid-1890's the City of Chicago renamed this
roadway in his honor for services rendered after the Chicago Fire of 1871. This roadway would later connect to Fort Sheridan by the
first quarter of the 20th century - in the Town of Highwood that would
become Town of Fort Sheridan in by 1993. This segment of this roadway was renamed back to
Lake Shore Drive in 1931 and regarded as the Inner Drive.
1898 photo - Ravenswood-Lake View Community Collection
A view of the Sheridan Road along the lakefront
postcard below - Grace Street and Sheridan Road 1910's
(Facebook Album)
This project began by me, Garry Albrecht, one of the directors of the
Ravenswood-Lake View Historical Association in 2018 with the collaboration from the manager of the Sheridan Triangle Garden and the 46th Chicago ward office - James Cappleman, alderman.
I devoted a few years promoting this project.
The dedication was held in September of 2019
The site/garden was selected due to its proximity to the hotel that at the time was located 150 yards from the then existing lakefront
the proto-type in 2018
and the final design in 2019
We used the photo of the hotel from the RLVHA collection
The garden is located at the 3800 block of inner Lake Shore Drive which is less than a block west of the former hotel location.
Note: Prior to 1890's Sheridan Road (to became inner Lake Shore Drive) was part of waters of Lake Michigan as well as the
DuSable Lake Shore Drive
the plaque was mounted on the north wall of the shed
- once used as for the Chicago Rapid Transit Agency, a precusor
of the CTA
The Final Product
Dayle Murphy, Vice President of RLVHA, who was project manager of this project, presented the plaque at an association's meeting in June 2019 held at Sulzer Regional Library - their meeting place
The Event Day
the event blueprint
illustrated by Jill Weinberg - manager of the garden
for the ribbon cutting segment of program
me and a very interested attendee
Alderman James Capplemen of the 46th ward and me
Behind me in 1854 would have been the lake at the time.
I was taking the audience back to year 1854 - the first dinner party at the hotel and the area's surroundings at that time
I was taking the audience back to year 1854 - the first dinner party at the hotel and the area's surroundings at that time
Post Notes:
A Booklet Reference from 1924
I would love to obtain this magazine!!
Note: Not until about 1930 did the official 'Community Areas' of Chicago develop and take hold so the title of the bottom of the cover of the booklet is actually about Lake View not Uptown
Note: Not until about 1930 did the official 'Community Areas' of Chicago develop and take hold so the title of the bottom of the cover of the booklet is actually about Lake View not Uptown
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These posts are exclusively used for educational purposes. I do not wish to gain monetary profit from this blog nor should anyone else without permission for the original source - thanks!
