About The Palmer House Hilton

The first Palmer House Hotel, known then just as The Palmer, was built as a wedding present, from Potter Palmer to his bride Bertha Honoré, at the corner of State and Monroe Streets in Chicago. The Palmer opened for business on September 26, 1871, but burned down just thirteen days later October 9, 1871 in the Great Chicago Fire.

Palmer immediately set to work rebuilding, having secured a $1.7 million loan—believed to be the largest individual loan ever secured at the time. Designed by architect John M. Van Osdel, the new hotel was seven stories, and was the most the most opulent hotel in post-fire Chicago. Constructed mainly of iron and brick, the hotel was advertised as "The World's Only Fire Proof Hotel."

By the 1920s, business in downtown Chicago proved to support a much larger facility and the Palmer Estate decided to erect a new 25-story hotel. They hired Holabird & Roche to design the building. Between 1923 and 1925, the hotel was rebuilt on the same site, but in stages so not to miss a single day of business. At the time it was touted as the largest hotel in the world. In December 1945, Conrad Hilton bought the Palmer House for $20 million.

In 2006, architecture and design firms Loebl Schlossman & Hackl and ForrestPerkins, began renovations to transform the hotel into a modern, luxury destination, while preserving the richness and grandeur of its past. This process had an estimated price tag of $170 million and took almost 5 years.

Restoration of the property saw updates to most of Palmer House's 1,639 hotel rooms—pulling inspiration from the French Baroque style found throughout the hotel, and included renovations to 44 deluxe suites, $1.5 million in updating the penthouse, and renovations to over 80,000 pieces of chandelier crystal throughout the hotel.

We are proud and excited to host "It's Raining Cats & Dogs!" at such an extraordinary venue—with a history as deep and rich as The Anti-Cruelty Society, celebrating in the city's oldest and most opulent pet friendly hotel.

The Palmer House is providing discounted accommodations for our guests. Mention It’s Raining Cats & Dogs! when you call.

Learn more about the Palmer House Hotel:
Click here for The Palmer House Official Website

Get Directions/See Map:
Click here to see this location on Google Maps

Learn about events and attractions in the area:
Click here to explore Chicago’s “Loop” neighborhood