The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1898-03-08

many lovely residences One of these
Is 50 close to the massive. nine-storied
structure that all light is cut off on
the Nsndome side. An. occupant of
Nhis residence said to World CORES
| nondent:
we expect every day that the Ven
aofne VIII topple over and down Upon
us. 1t Is perfect wreck inside And
II 1t should catch fire we never could
save our house; 1t would be sure to go,
for they built the Vendomc to the very
limbs of their lot lines.
| Chapman Brothers furnished tho
money with which the Vendome was
Duilt. They were business men of con-
siderable wealth. burt this building has
| ruined them. They lost every cent thew
| had IN the world, and melody knows
what mas become Of them. The building
aione cost $350000. 1t has 300 rooms
ana Is useless. except for Il hotel And.
or course, you know. a hotel couldn't
| i've ana thrive In this dead part of
| Chicago now"
Hlohroc avenue and Fifty-fifth street,
Il once beautiful residence locality ts
rendered ghostly by 1.-THE Monroe" an
o , rum of hotel. with history as
iohs as your arm. This building Is
pe'LectiF monstrous, covering an i'm
mense area and extending back more
| IMAM half u block. 1t Is of brick and
stone, SIX stories high, ana has more
| IMAM SIX hundred rooms Some wool
Eathering Michigan man invested $500. :
ooo In 1t, and like others of his SORT
ne mas been penniless since. The place
va, Mas run during the summer of 93, but
| thc builder realized little on the profits
| alter the fair various firms swoopcd
| Gown upon the building, dismantlinr
! III OH window shades. gas fixtures and
everything else that was portable
Various liens were levied on it, ana
iinaiIy Rockefeller bought them IN
| with the idea OF turning "rha Mon
roe" into n dormitory for the Iniver
SHY or Chicago. I1ut for good and
sufficient reasons the dormtory idea
was shelved
Inc Monroe Is now owned by the
| aIoel'E Construction company. which
| uccla:es an intention OF rcmodcling ii
| INTO an apartment building.
Just one block away on Madison ovn-
nue.: near Fifty-i street. is the
w mite House Hotel. a bleak. four
s;oricd brick affair. too awful for de-
scrlptlon. One or two families whom
circumstances have treated i'll, have
taken up their humble abode there
! but the greater pdrt Of the ghostlv old
pace Is unoccupied. L: has neither gas
neat nor water, and was built merely
rs 4 place In which to store away
people during the Worlds Fair 1t is
owned by y. w. Hayward. who lives
near IN comfortable home al, TllS
| washington avenue. lie has Il whole
sale snoe store at 2:6 Madison street
una Is one Of the Very few exposition
| motel Schcmcrs who was not ruined nv
/ wild ventures
| Very ncaY thesa two ia. -namni r,lirs
at himbark avenue ana Fifty-slxs n
street. is the Plantation Hotel, which Is
| now used as storage house I: is a
,wo-story frame building. with wide
Nerandas, from which style Of Southern
architecture II evidently took its mans
y. w. Bent bull, 1t for man named
john Hewitt, who squandarcd $50 coo in
sHoh money furnishing lis 800 rooms
| eqhlpplng its kitchen and fixing ,lp In
terror decorations. AS Hewitt rour 4
himself In rather an uncomfortable no
sii!on at the close of the fair. A. w
lent TOOK possession of the prop2r:y
/ The building itself cost $50 COO
Another hotel which makes ugly an
especially lovely part Of Woudlawu Is
al SiXty-irst stree: and ELLIS avenue.
ms one, however. il occupied. as one
! painfully observes. by the b oxen Mitch
erS. The bottles the tin pals ara dishes
! or butter which ornament the widow
sliAi. llilis avenue for blocks is ono OF
the ioNti!est avenues in the southern
portion Of Chicago. ana just rs II meet !.
| the old Midway, which is now as ha.u-
4
looms up this barn-like binding with
I its pitchers and pals. ana strings Of
! WaShngS out to dry. | is four t;torie
high and OF red brick.
hotri with n really rrnan.ic bis-
tory Is on Quincy street. II was built
by "H!lly" Lindlcy who made an i'm
menFe fortune on tie Board Of Trade.
ana huil; himself a magnificent house
! on Michigan avenue. "R.lly" Itnllav
II
/ the son-in-laW OF Charles Mlybarry.
Every cent he had wen. into this
Noriis Fair hotel. ana billy" I.tnllev
! cXrectud 10 double his fortune by feed
Ing ana roOmimy crowds Of cxnCe,,,on
guests. But, like thc others. he los, his
money. His troubles preyci upon him
until ne went mad and in Il year or
so lilly L'ndiey was dead
IT would take n dozen columns IA ,cl,
The histories OF tha hundreds. of hotels
mat popped up like mu sh"nams in the
| night five years ago jackson Park is
surrounded by them, and they do. IN,
! prairics ii' enc goes south from Chicago
| proper. Out at Harvey nearly an
hours ride away, IL an immense fran
structure, which Is even now unfiNjsn-
| I'd. and which. until it falls from decay
| VIII remain. u shading monumcn; il
| money most hopclossly thrown away
AT Sevcnty-fst street and thu iii
nois Central railroad stands She North
vest another financial failure built
by persons in the employ of tn, North
western Railroad Company. \ block
| Sill further south is another big. cmp-
iy. spookish building of 3CO rooms. This
was subscriptiCn hotel. the money.
!; is said. being procured from the go
c!ciy women of Chicago. But. like
hundreds Of others, il is crumbling ana
slowly tumblng down