Palmer House Chicago

Practically unknown bird’s eye view of the Loop in Chicago, published for the 1934 World’s Fair.

This charming map, issued by the Palmer House hotel in Chicago, gives us a curated panorama of the city’s financial district. The view is oriented with east at the top, which is less traditional than most other promotional maps of the city, which feature Lake Michigan prominently in the foreground. The orientation was probably selected because it maximized the impression of the hotel’s accessibility to downtown and allowed the Palmer House to feature prominently in the center of the page.

Black and white profile illustrations of other important buildings can be seen in the immediately surrounding blocks, including the Art Institute, the Opera Building, Union Station, Tribune Tower, and the Wrigley Building. In the background, Museum Campus can be seen as home to the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Soldier’s Field and the newly opened (1930) Planetarium, funded by Max Adler. The map was likely drawn by an artist with the surname Spuehler, which can be seen adjacent to the bellhop next to the title cartouche.

With gusts of wind in every corner, this image is a wonderful representation of Chicago at one of its pivotal moments in history – the 1934 Century of Progress Exhibition. However, if it weren’t for the map’s verso, we wouldn’t know that it had anything to do with the fair, as the grounds at Northerly Island are nowhere to be seen! The map was published as a centerfold in a promotional pamphlet issued by the Palmer House in 1934, and the back side shows numerous photographs featuring attractions from the fair.