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lobby images of the historic chicago motor club shortly after its rebirth as a hampton inn

upon discovering this building i instantly fell in love with and greatly admired the slim and sleek profile of the chicago motor club building, which like the nearby carbide and carbon building by architects holabird and roche (reopened as the hard rock hotel in 2004), was well on its way to being transformed into a hotel. fortunately, in both buildings, the exterior and interior art deco architectural elements that give both lobby and facade great distinction, were treated with a historically sensitive renovation.

to achieve a full-on experience my significant other and i stayed there one evening in the form of a single night "staycation." the lackluster room and amenities were just a mere distraction since i just wanted to explore any and all of the building. this ended up including a prolonged pit stop in the lobby, where i photographed the highly stylized art deco elements created in a variety of mediums. the centerpiece, perhaps, is the humongous polychromatic hand-painted mural depicting  the united states with its principal cities and highways. a rather fitting, if not mandatory design feature for a building constructed for the chicago motor club.

there was a great deal of ornamental plaster used throughout the lobby that was treated with a metallic silver finish as if meant to mimic aluminum or nickel-plated metal-- two popular materials used during this time period. i'm guessing the chicago-based decorators's supply was called in to execute the plaster ornament.

the incandescent lighting is likely original and was mostly uniform in style both on the ceiling and on the walls. the chandeliers and sconces consist of circular-shaped plate glass light from above or behind by barebulb sockets - nothing more, nothing less. the stair railing used on the opposed balconies are comprised of cast iron with a silver metallic paint - similar to the finish used on the ornamental plaster.

the balcony containing both the "empire" clock with roman numerals and the oversized panel bearing the club's logo provided added distinction, despite the odd juxtaposition, especially in scale. i was surprised that the architects chose such a simple and mostly utilitarian cutler mail chute drop box, as the finish seemed to me to contrast unfavorably with the rest of the design elements. perhaps the original was removed long ago or missing altogether and replaced with a "period appropriate" mailbox, but i doubt that's the case.

i do like the simplicity of the winding staircase featuring a continuous pattern of elongated oval-shaped balusters comprised of enameled aluminum or steel. extending the simplistic theme, i conclude with the doorknobs that were likely fabricated by sargent or p. & f. corbin. like the empire state and chrysler art deco style skyscrapers in manhattan, the door hardware is largely unornamented with only graduated concentric rings employed to make a subtle yet definitive statement that reflects the style during the "roaring twenties."  both the escutcheons and doorknobs are comprised of cast bronze metal with a nickel-plated finish.

 

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