early 20th century all original and nicely aged interior la salle hotel guestroom door hardware designed and fabricated by the yale & towne mfg. co., stamford, ct. the oversized cast brass monogrammed doorknob contains fanciful lettering surrounded by a neoclassical border. the distinctive backplate is comprised of decorative frame attached to a dark blue enameled escutcheon containing the original thumb twist handle. the nicely aged surface patina was left untouched. the doorknob and backplate were mounted on a beveled edge hardwood plaque for display purposes. the la salle hotel was a 22-story historic hotel that was designed by the architectural firm of holabird & roche and built between 1908-09 by the firm of purdy & henderson. the thousand bedroom building was erected contemporaneously with the blackstone hotel designed by benjamin marshall in a very similar style and was considered chicago's finest hotel. named in honor of robert, cavalier de lasalle, the hotel was planned, designed and built in the commercial district of chicago as an upscale hotel for an elite and influential clientele, with luxurious and stately walnut-paneled rooms and lobbies. an elegant roof top garden was planned as a major attraction. when it was opened in 1909, it was hailed as the "largest, safest, and most modern hotel west of new york." the republican party of illinois had their offices located in the luxurious blue fountain room of the hotel. during one of his long visits to chicago, president william howard taft stayed in the presidential suite on the third floor of this hotel, converting it into de facto white house. la salle billed itself as "chicago's finest hotel" and was a symbol of upper class extravagance in chicago in the early twentieth century, with its grand ballrooms and luxury restaurants exuding a grandeur of the fine palace hotels of europe. the hotel suffered a major fire in 1946, but shortly refurbished thereafter. in 1976, the la sale was demolished to make way for the two north lasalle office building completed in 1979.