Edgewater

Regarded as one of Chicago's "most prestigious communities" in the early 1900s, Edgewater was home to the Edgewater Beach Hotel and the neighboring Edgewater Beach Apartments. Once a popular destination for famous guests, United States Presidents, and chart-topping bands, the Edgewater Beach Hotel received a major blow after it was cut off from the beach when Lake Shore Drive was extended north to Hollywood Avenue starting in 1951. Without direct access to it's formerly private beach, the hotel saw a reduction in business and was finally shuttered in 1967. The hotel buildings were demolished soon after being closed, but the pink Edgewater Beach Apartments stand today as a reminder of Edgewater's grand past.