{"nrhp_refnum":"80001350","name":"Sheridan Plaza Hotel","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4601--4613 N. Sheridan Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Chicago","county":"Cook County","state":"IL","lat":41.96571735900005,"lon":-87.65461756699995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-11-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 12-story concrete hotel and apartment hotel faced in brick and white terra cotta at the northeast corner of Sheridan Road and Wilson Avenue in the Uptown area of Chicago, planned in 1919, begun in 1920 and opened in 1921.","why_significant":"It was the first big building in Uptown and started the 1920s construction boom there. It is notable for its elaborate terra cotta ornament. It is also associated with architect-developer Walter W. Ahlschlager, who co-owned and co-developed it, and its partners founded the business association that became the Uptown Chamber of Commerce.","narrative":"Rising twelve stories at the northeast corner of Sheridan Road and Wilson Avenue in Chicago, this concrete hotel and apartment hotel holds about 415 units above a two-story base of lobby, lounges, dining rooms and shops. Brick covers the upper floors, while white terra cotta, drawing on many periods and styles, decorates the base and the slender tower-like sections, with gargoyles, cartouches, urns and a shield held by chimeras at the Sheridan Road entrance. Inside, a barrel-vaulted lobby with rich plaster decoration is the most important space. Planned in 1919 and opened in 1921, it was the first tall building in Uptown and preceded the boom that filled the area with theaters, ballrooms, hotels and offices. Architect Walter W. Ahlschlager was also a co-owner and developer, and the partners founded the business association that became the Uptown Chamber of Commerce. The hotel hosted weddings, dances and the Chicago Cubs. By 1980 the interiors had deteriorated after a 1974 fire and years of vacancy.","period_of_significance":"1919-1921","architect_builder":"Walter W. Ahlschlager (Architect)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Exterior generally good and unaltered except for shop fronts; interiors show considerable deterioration from deferred maintenance, a 1974 fire and five years of vacancy.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:35.107938-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/46/8922/28892246/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_IL/80001350.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001350/b5a122cc4b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80001350/b5a122cc4b-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Zagalejo","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sheridan_Plaza_Hotel.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Zagalejo</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sheridan_Plaza_Hotel.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/28892246","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheridan_Plaza_Hotel","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7494903"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/illinois/cook-county/sheridan-plaza-hotel-80001350/"}