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InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile
Chicago, Illinois, United States · InterContinental · Core Luxury
Chicago Shriners spent about $5 million building Walter W. Ahlschlager's 42-story Medinah Athletic Club on Michigan Avenue, completed in 1929 with Assyrian limestone friezes, a gold dome, and a junior-Olympic pool on the fourteenth floor where Johnny Weissmuller trained. After bankruptcy the tower became a hotel, later Sheraton-Chicago, before InterContinental restored the 1929 south tower and paired it with the 1961 north tower. The Grand Ballroom's Baccarat chandelier is cited as the largest in North America, and a copper time capsule from the 1928 cornerstone laying still sits in the limestone skin.
- 792 rooms
- Opened 1929
- Neighborhood: Magnificent Mile
- Rooms from 256 sq ft (24 m²)
- Architect: Walter W. Ahlschlager
About InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile
- Club amenities once included a 23rd-floor miniature golf course with water hazards, a two-story boxing arena, and a shooting range for 3,500 Shriner members.
- Léon Hermant carved the Contribution, Wisdom, and Consecration friezes from designs by George Unger with Ahlschlager.
- Sheraton's 1961 north tower added 26 stories; InterContinental later ran that wing briefly as the Forum Hotel while restoring the historic south tower.
- A former club member's Scimitar magazine photos guided the late-1980s restoration of stenciling, carpets, and the rebuilt Grand Ballroom balcony.
- Historic Hotels of America lists InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile in the National Trust for Historic Preservation program.
History
Chicago Shriners spent about $5 million building Walter W. Ahlschlager's 42-story Medinah Athletic Club on Michigan Avenue, completed in 1929 with Assyrian limestone friezes, a gold dome, and a junior-Olympic pool on the fourteenth floor where Johnny Weissmuller trained. After bankruptcy the tower became a hotel, later Sheraton-Chicago. InterContinental restored the 1929 south tower and paired it with the 1961 north tower. A copper time capsule from the 1928 cornerstone laying still sits in the limestone skin.
The setting
InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile stands on Michigan Avenue in the Magnificent Mile, Chicago. Chicago Riverwalk is about 4 minutes on foot; Museum Of Contemporary Art Chicago is roughly 9 minutes' walk. This is the Magnificent Mile more than the Loop's theater core: Michigan Avenue shops and a slightly different downtown night. 13-minute walk to expansive Millennium Park.
Restaurants and bars
- Michael Jordan's Steak House Chicago — Restaurant · Steak house
- Center Court — Restaurant · Breakfast
Amenities
- Spa
- Indoor pool
- Hot tub
- Fitness center
- Pet-friendly
Awards
- AAA Four Diamond (2026)
Open InterContinental Chicago Magnificent Mile in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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