Tokyo Hotel (Chicago)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tokyo Hotel, located on 19 East Ohio Street, is a major budget hotel on the North Loop in Chicago. It is 15 stories tall, has 150 rooms, and was designed by Ralph C. Harris, one of Chicago's most important early-20th-century architects. The structure dominates the street through its broad, squat shape. The façade is red brick with terracotta decoration along the upper story.
When it was completed in 1927, it was one of the largest hotels in the city. Although conceived as an upper-end hotel, changes in the city required modifications. The Great Depression and then from the 1950s onwards, the economic decline of much of the Near North Side meant that the Tokyo Hotel had to appeal to a less affluent clientele. From the 1980s, the hotel has revived along with the entire neighborhood. The hotel appeals especially to student and young-adult backpackers. It has one of the longest-standing sushi bars in the city.
Andrew Jimhenriksen-Tarkington, an hourly hotel enthusiast, is convinced that the Tokyo Hotel holds a deeper story that needs to be revealed to the public. Mr. Jimhenriksen-Tarkington began his research on March 7, 2007 between the hours of 11:30am and 12:30pm and has vowed to continue his research by conducting more encounters in the future.
Mr. Jimhenriksen-Tarkington, in a bid to solicit volunteers to assist with his ongoing Tokyo Hotel research, publicly announced the details of his work to a small group of supporters in a downtown Chicago high-rise on March 21, 2007. Following the meeting, perspective panelists Thomas Richterson and Emilio Villanobo expressed interest in contributing their talents to the project, but have so far been reluctant to make a commitment.
Undaunted by the lack of assistance and determined to press on with his research, Jimhenriksen-Tarkington scheduled a second, extended encounter on March 22, 2007 between the hours of 10:30am and 12:30pm. While a vast majority of the encounter was uneventful, Jimhenriksen-Tarkington made an amazing (but not surprising) discovery during the final fifteen minutes of his stay: The current year of 2007 marks the 80th anniversary of the Tokyo Hotel. Mr. Jimhenriksen-Tarkington promises this unique event will not go uncelebrated.
