Hotel Baker History
editHotel Baker was built in 1928 on the site of old Haines Mill and celebrated its opening with a grand dinner for more than 300 people. The hotel began as a dream of Edward J. Baker, a native of St. Charles, who earned the honorary title of "Colonel" thanks to his excellent luck in horse racing. In 1918, at the age of 50, Baker inherited nearly $20 million from his sister, Dellora Baker Gates, heiress to the Texaco Oil Company. Using only the interest income from his inheritance, Baker commissioned local architects and craftsmen to construct his vision of an elegant, 55-room resort. Final construction costs totaled more than $1 million, and the hotel boasted the most modern conveniences of the day when it opened June 2, 1928.
Over the years, the colorful Rainbow Room has featured many famous entertainers, such as Tommy Dorsey, Guy Lombardo, Louis Armstrong and Lawrence Welk. The Hotel Baker has also welcomed guests such as John F. Kennedy, Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, Gerald Ford, Illinois Governors Adlai Stevenson and Jim Thompson, and Senators Charles Percy, Everett Dirksen, and Edmund Muskie, as well as entertainers Jeanette MacDonald, Mary Martin, Eddie Arnold, Edgar Bergen and evangelist Billy Graham.
Hotel Baker is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
After inheriting $20 million following his sister's death in the late 1910s, Baker set out to build the "biggest small hotel." In 1926, Baker purchased the site of the old Haines Mill and hired Wolf, Sexton, Harper, and Trueax of St. Charles to design the hotel. The final design of the building blended the latest technology with Spanish Romantic Revival architecture. This style reflects the similar architectural style found across the Fox River on the Arcada Theater. Notable exterior features of the five story building include: a square tower, a detailed center entrance with a unique combination of columns and a peacock-shaped stained glass window, gardens, terraces, and a putting green.
Hotel Baker had the latest in modern conveniences from kitchen appliances to building elements. The structure of the building itself incorporated brick, concrete, and steel-encased utilities--elements which made the building "fireproof." Instead of relying on outside services for electricty, Hotel Baker harnessed the power of the Fox River. Thanks to the use of this age-old method of energy production, the hotel avoided power outages.
Upon the opening celebration on June 2, 1928, three hundred and one guests caught their first glimpe of Baker's "pride and joy." Baker had spared no expense. In the end, the hotel cost approximately a million dollars. Not only were these early visitors treated to the splendor found throughout the public areas of the hotel, guests also could spend the night in one of the fifty-five custom designed rooms for $2.50. Also within the hotel itself were several shops: a women's clothing store, a newspaper shop, a barber, and a beauty shop. Adjacent to the Hotel, there was a two story parking garage and auto showroom.
While the hotel offered these conveniences and amenities to guests, the luxurious Rainbow and Trophy Rooms remained the highlights of one's visit. The Trophy Room, named for the number of trophies displayed, imitated a Spanish courtyard: balconies, awnings, a fountain, and a simulated sky all contributed to the creation of this environment. The Rainbow Room, with its oval glass block floor and custom pipe organ, provided guests with a dazzling place to dance and dine. Until a 1955 flood, red, green, blue, and amber lights beneath the floor created spectacular patterns. Unfortunately, following the flood, the lights could only be turned on and off. In its heyday, Hotel Baker gained national attention. From the 1930s to the 1950s, it gained the nickname "Honeymoon Hotel." Famous entertainers appeared during the early years. The Rainbow Room featured the likes of Tommy Dorsey and Louis Armstrong. Also during this period, the hotel hosted gatherings for both local and national politicians. Among those who visited the Baker Hotel were John F. Kennedy and Mayor Richard Daley.
After living on the fifth floor of the hotel for thirty-one years, Baker died in 1959 at the age of 90. Dellora Norris, Baker's niece, inherited the hotel. After she failed to sell the hotel, she gave it to the Lutheran Social Services of Illinois in 1968. Following some remodeling, the hotel reopened in 1971 as an interfaith, non-denominational residence for the elderly. Although the upper floors of the hotel were restricted to residents, the main public areas remained open for public use.
In 1996, Craig Frank and Neil Johnson, both St. Charles businessmen, bought the hotel. Following a $9 million renovation, cleaning, and upgrading of utilities, the hotel once again the "Crown Jewel of the Fox," welcomed guests offering them the latest in technology and luxury.
Hotel Baker Vertical File
Reflections of St. Charles p 117
Celebrating History p 7, 41
St. Charles on Parade p 51
St. Charles Illinois p 127, 128
Sources
edit• Architectural Survey, St. Charles Central District, St. Charles: St. Charles Historic Preservation Commission, 1995.
• Buchwald, Mary. "They Called this Man Colonel." Daily Courier News 30 July 1989, Lifestyle 1:1.
• "Colonel E.J. Baker, Whose Name is Synonymous with That of Vast Progress Congratulates the Beacon-News on the Opening of its Splendid New Publishing Facilities." Aurora Beacon-News, date unknown. • Historic Hotel Baker--The Crown Jewel of the Fox. April 1999.
• Hotel Baker: A History in Progress, 1928-1998. St. Charles: Hotel Baker Group,1997.
• Clauter, Hazel. Our Community. 1967.
As the story goes, a chambermaid was engaged to another hotel employee who disappeared after a late-night poker game. Distraught, she cried inconsolably for days. A few weeks later, she disappeared, presumed drowned in the river outside. The Haunting: Hotel guests hear her cries near where the former employees' dormitory once stood. Occasionally the linens are messed up, as if someone was searching for something among them.