Pictured is the Sovereign Hotel, as well as an illustration of its lobby. The hotel, completed in 1922, was located at the northeast corner of Granville and Kenmore Avenues. With 600 guest rooms, two ballrooms, and a swimming pool, the Sovereign was a major factor in the urbanization of the North Edgewater area. Ten stories high and noted for its elegant terra cotta cornice, the hotel, designed by West Ahlschlager, is a fine example of the Beaux Arts style. Among the hotel’s guests were Charlie Chaplin, the Duke of Windsor, the King of Denmark, Al Capone, and the Andrew Sisters. In his youth, Johnny Weismmuller, star of the epic film Tarzan and Olympic swim team member in 1924 and 1928, was a lifeguard at the hotel’s pool. He practiced at a similar pool at the Medina Club, now the Hotel Intercontinental on North Michigan Avenue. The building is now an apartment complex, and home to the Edgewater Athletic Center.
Arcadia
