Sherman House Hotel

The Sherman House (sometimes called Hotel Sherman) was a hotel in Chicago, Illinois that operated from 1837 until 1973, with four iterations standing at the same site at the northwest corner of Randolph Street and Clark Street. Long one of the city's major hotels, the hotel's fortunes declined in the 1950s amid changes to its surrounding area, and it closed in 1973. The fourth and final building it had occupied was demolished in 1980 to make room for the James R. Thompson Center.

From 1836 to 1837, Francis Cornwall Sherman constructed the hotel at the northwest corner of Randolph Street as the "City Hotel". It was three stories tall. It was renamed the Sherman House in 1844 after Sherman remodeled it, with two stories added to it.

In 1839, Sherman retired from managing the hotel, handing over management to the firm of James Williamson and A.H. Squier. The next year, Williamson retired from the firm, and William Rickards acquired his interest. Proprietorship of the hotel remained in the possession of Rickards and Squier until 1851, when they sold their proprietorship to the firm of Brown & Tuttle. In 1854, the firm became Tuttle & Patmor when A. H. Patmor acquired Brown's share in that firm. In 1858, proprietorship was acquired by Martin Hodge and Hiram Longly.

At the same site as the first hotel, Francis Cornwall Sherman built a new structure, breaking ground on May 1, 1860, and opening the new structure to guests on July 1, 1861. The structure was designed by William W. Boyington. It became one of the city's grand hotels, alongside the Tremont House. The front of the building was made of Athens marble on the levels above it storefronts. Its primary entrance was along Clark street, with a two-story portico. To the right of the main entrance was the building's ladies' entrance. The building was 161 feet long along Randolph Street and 181 feet long along Clark Street. The building had an open court in its center, and rose six stories. There was a western section of the building along Couch Place that rose seven stories. The building was designed in modern Italian style.

Journalist James W. Sheahan wrote that the hotel's public spaces, including its Grand Hall, parlors, and reception rooms, "are not surpassed in size or general convenience by any similar hotel apartments in the country."

The hotel was lost in the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. Before the fire, the hotel was operated by George W. Gage.^{[full citation needed]}

Following the fire, the hotel operation briefly relocated to the former Gault House at Madison Street and Clinton Street, until they could build their new structure. While operating at this site, it was referred to as the "Little Sherman House".

The hotel was rebuilt again. From 1872 to 1873, the hotel's third structure was constructed at the same site as the previous hotels. The third hotel, as with the second, was designed by William W. Boyington. The building was 160 feet long along Randolph Street and 181 feet long along Clark Street. As with the previous building, the entrance was located along Clark Street. The ladies' entrance was along Randolph Street. The building had a courtyard, and featured fireproof vaults. The building was constructed from gray sandstone quarried from a newly opened quarry in Kankakee, Illinois. The building was 115 feet tall. It contained 300 luxurious rooms, including suites.