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


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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

 
A hint of the Baker's fate:

Hotel Baker just might see more splendor

Published in Sun Publications 09/24/03

Some say it's hard to put a good lady down. This is true in the case of St. Charles, especially when the "good lady" is Hotel Baker.

The five-story hotel has stood on the west bank of the Fox River in the heart of downtown St. Charles since 1928. The magnificent building has been a key piece in keeping downtown St. Charles alive. As a hotel, it brought all kinds of people into the area.

According to information from the St. Charles Public Library, Col. Edward Baker sought to build the "biggest small hotel" with money he inherited when his sister died. The building took on a Spanish romantic revival style similar to that of the Arcada Theater building on the east side of the Fox River.

The hotel has 55 rooms and was one of those luxurious hotels you see in old movies, complete with a lady's dress shop, a barber shop and restaurants. According to some sources, the hotel's first guest was Amos Alonzo Stagg, a close personal friend of Baker.

One day when I was a kid, my grandmother brought us to breakfast in the restaurant that looked out onto Main Street. My dad told me he used to park cars for the hotel. He said he saw some big names. Among those who have been at the hotel include entertainers Tommy Dorsey and Louis Armstrong, as well as politicians such as Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and presidential candidate John F. Kennedy.

Another story that surfaces about Hotel Baker is that, on occasion, there was a gentleman from Chicago by the name of Alphonse "Scarface" Capone who would do some business in the valley area at what is now known as Capone's Hideaway. After his business, Capone would hop on a boat and travel down the river to the hotel, where he would play cards with Col. Baker all night long. Whether the story is true might be debatable, but it does add to the mystique surrounding the hotel.

In 1971, the hotel closed and the building was used to house the elderly. This actually turned out to be a bit of a boon for downtown St. Charles. Those who lived in the hotel did not have to venture far to go to the drugstore — they had a choice of Bagge's on Second and Main streets, Klick and Worthley's on First and Main streets or Burgers just across the bridge. Blue Goose grocery store was only two blocks away, Manor Restaurant was nearby and a few barber shops and beauty salons were right on the main strip.

The Rainbow Room and the Trophy Room were open to the public and many a wedding and other occasion was celebrated in those rooms. When I was in eighth grade at St. Patrick School, our graduation breakfast was held at the hotel. And at each place setting was a silver dollar donated by the man who ran an Army surplus store in town.

Eventually, Carroll Towers was built and the organization that ran the Hotel Baker found it could not afford it anymore and sold the hotel to two local businessmen. Those two vowed to bring the hotel back to its glory.

And they did.

During my daughter's class trip to downtown St. Charles I toured the hotel, where I heard some of the stories my father told me. I also had a chance to see the outdoor splendor in the back during my niece's wedding. At the time, I had heard the top-floor rooms were booked years in advance for New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July so guests could sit in the hot tub and watch the fireworks.

Unfortunately the times caught up with the owners, and they had to let go of their dream. But, in recent weeks, a Wayne businessman and his partner purchased the grand beauty and promised to bring it back into glory.

The plans sound feasible, and I believe it will help spark the downtown development plans.

Who knows? With the revival of live theater at the Arcada, some of the big-name entertainers will need a nice place to stay. If the names are big enough, I might be able to help park a car or two.

Dan Wagner writes Trails of the Fox. He is a lifelong resident of St. Charles and has 15 years of experience writing and editing at area publications. Contact him at wdansue@aol.com.


posted by AquarianM at 6:00 AM