This blog is regarding the plight of the spectacular and historic Hotel Baker in Saint Charles, IL that is in serious trouble because the owners went bankrupt.




St. Charles Public Library - Hotel Baker History


E-mail me

**!! Sealed Auction Information site - bids due July 22nd 2003 !!**


City of St. Charles website


City of Geneva website


Hotel Baker iPix Tours


AIA Chicago 1998 design awards page

AIA Chicago 2000 design awards page


*PING*






Other weBlogs by Daniel Stafford:

The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

*Spell Book*

Affirmation Station

Remembering Mom

Save Hotel Baker

Uncle Harold's Farm

 
This is going to have to rest for a few days while the holidays are here. To all visitiors, Happy Holidays, and thank you for stopping in. I hope you all have a wonderful season full of family, friends, and joy.

Dan
posted by AquarianM at 9:39 PM

 
OK, we're back on page two of the results...
posted by AquarianM at 1:19 PM

 
I just checked a bit ago, and this blog has gone from page one of google's search results to no appearance at all. I re-submitted the site, hopefully it will be back in the results soon.
posted by AquarianM at 12:06 AM

 
Found the following from the Small Business Admin, looks like some very good informational sources:
Small Business Resources
I think much of this will be just as relevant to a non-profit corporation as to a standard business.
posted by AquarianM at 11:55 PM

 
Read the article below, it's good but short. It also lists some good resources for those considering a start up. One of the things I found is that it requires at least three directors to start a non-profit corporation.

One interesting source of info on getting started from the article:
Nonprofit Financial Center of Chicago, IL. One thing that makes me interested is that they are a local resource. It looks like they have both guide books and training sessions.

What I really would like to find is a couple of other people that would like to help with this...
posted by AquarianM at 11:21 PM

 
Google.com search results on "help creating non profit" I need to get back to, out of time:
Google Results.
posted by AquarianM at 4:36 PM

 
An interesting article on creating non-profit organizations that I need to review in detail:
Creating a Non-Profit Corporation.
posted by AquarianM at 4:34 PM

 
It's not very likely I'm going to get much done with this today as I have other obligations. I may try some internet searches for sources of interest and expertise very late tonight. If anyone reading has suggestions or people they think may be interested, please, by all means either e-mail me from the link over to the left or inform such persons of this site.

Thank you for stopping by!
posted by AquarianM at 8:55 AM

 
Excellent. A few people are starting to find this blog, and it's now on the first page of search results if you search google on the key words "hotel baker".
posted by AquarianM at 1:11 PM

 
Well, in light of the discoveries some determined research uncovered, such as my near complete ignorance of the true situation, no wonder the Mayor never e-mailed me a reply. I just sent her another e-mail however, reiterating the offer should any group attempt to aquire the Baker and get it back into operation. (I'd offered up to 100mb on my domain to give a web presence to any group attempting to get the hotel back in operation.)
posted by AquarianM at 10:57 AM

 
So far, my best guestimate is that I got the issue completely confused back when I wrote the poem earlier this year. It looks like the Arthur Andersen training college at old Saint Dominick's College in St. Charles was a major source of guests and revenue for the Hotel Baker. The collapse of Andersen probably closed the college (not determined yet) and cut off a major source of high profile corporate guests for the Baker. At this time, to the best of my knowledge, this is more likely the reality of the situation.
posted by AquarianM at 10:20 AM

 
Saint Charles Land Use Guidelines from 01/1999 as reflects the Hotel Baker at that time.
posted by AquarianM at 10:16 AM

 
Village Profile.com on reasons people come to Saint Charles: Village Profile - St. Charles, IL
posted by AquarianM at 10:09 AM

 
Quoted from the Saint Charles Beacon News 02/17/02:
' Hotel Baker posed the opposite problem: how to keep the crown jewel of downtown St. Charles from becoming a blighted property. After former owners Craig Frank and Neil Johnson closed the hotel in January, they asked the city to forgive a $2 million debt that included municipal loans and more than $100,000 in unpaid hotel taxes so they could close a deal with two prospective buyers.

"It's hard to look across the river and see the hotel standing there closed, but I would rather be comfortable with the deal to sell it than rush into another failure," Klinkhamer said. "If it's run the way it has been run before, it will close again within the month. We have to make sure that doesn't happen." '

You can read the full article for full detail of the context.

posted by AquarianM at 10:01 AM

 
Apparently Arthur Andersen Accounting owned the Historic Saint Dominc College in St. Charles and used it as a training center. St. Charles Public Library history page - Saint Dominic College.
posted by AquarianM at 9:54 AM

 
Another interesting possibbility would be to run a combination of a museum of hotel history and a traning school for hostelry out of the Baker. Can you imagine a better place to learn about the art?
posted by AquarianM at 9:39 AM

 
Apparently the Baker rennovation was awarded honors in 1998 & 2000 from the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects: AIA Chicago 1998 design awards page. AIA Chicago 2000 design awards page.
posted by AquarianM at 9:34 AM