Happy 4th from Edgewater!
Press the speaker (near gold star) for music!
The Landmark Edgewater Beach Hotel
The 1920s-era Hotel (background) was demolished back in the 50s, and the smaller Apartment Bldg. (foreground) was originally only 8-stories, but later, added onto, and is now a 30-story Co-op Building.(foreground) - aka "The Pink Bldg". Corner of Bryn Mawr and Sheridan Road, a block from my house.
This was the "Riviera" of Lake Michigan, back in the 1920s and many legends surround this unique block of real estate!
Movie stars like Gloria Swanson and Charlie "The Tramp" Chaplin regularly filmed at the Essanay Studios, ("The Great Train Robbery"), just down the street, (1300 block of W Argyle), and were regular guests in the Hotel from about 1907 - 1917.
Al Capone had a history in the Hotel, purportedly using it as the base for his north side gang operations. There are tunnels, underneath, connecting to various "hotspots" on the north side. One goes all the way to the famous "Green Mill" hangout and Speakeasy (Lawrence & Clark), which has been a big nightspot since then.
