The Stevens/The Conrad Hilton/Hilton Chicago - Chicago, Illinois

Today, my wife and I are heading to Chicago for a nice Valentine's weekend and we are staying at the Hilton in downtown Chicago. The Hilton, or as it was originally knowm, The Stevens was once the world's largest hotel.

The Stevens opened in 1927 and was developed at a cost of $30 million by James W. Stevens. The Stevens contained 3,000 guest rooms and was basically it's own little city. The hotel contained a bowling alley, barber shop, movie theater, ice cream shop, drug store and rooftop miniature golf course.

During the depression, the Stevens family (which included a young son named John Paul Stevens who went on to become a Justice in the Supreme Court) went bankrupt and was ultimately charged with financial corruption. The government took over the hotel. Then, in 1942, the United States Army purchased the Stevens for $6 million and turned it into classrooms and barracks for use during the second World War. There were over 10,000 cadets housed in the Stevens and the once famous Grand Ballroom was turned into their eating quarters/mess hall. The War Department ultimately sold the Stevens to a businessman named Stephen Healy in 1944.

Conrad Hilton purchased the hotel from Hotel in 1945. The name of the hotel was changed to the Conrad Hilton in 1951. Hilton redesigned and added to the building throughout the years.

In 1968, during the Democratic National Convention, the streets outside the hotel were the scene to the riots that took place between Major Richard J. Daley's police officers and anti-Vietnam protesters. During the chaos the hotel was overtaken by protesters that lobbed stink bombs and tear gas into the lobby.

In 1984, the hotel was closed for what was then the most expensive hotel renovation of all time. The cost was $185 million. The Conrad Hilton was closed for more than a year. During the renovation, the 3,000 guest rooms became 1,544 bigger and nicer rooms.The newly renamed Chicago Hilton and Towers was reopened on October 1, 1985. In 1998, the name was shortened to Hilton Chicago.

These postcards are not meant to be the complete history of the hotel. These are just the 6 postcards I currently own. They are posted in chronological order.