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The St. Nicholas
Hotel is located on the southeast corner of Fourth and
Jefferson Streets in downtown Springfield. The original
St. Nicholas was built on this site in 1855. The
present complex is made up of an annex building (1910),
the main section (1924), and the lobby wing (1931). The
1924 section is considered the most important. The
structure was designed by the firm of H. L. Stevens of
New York City which was a specialist in hotel
buildings. The building is a restrained Georgian
revival and is 11 stories tall plus a penthouse. The
annex is six stories tall and is also done in a
neo-classical style. The St. Nicholas was the State
Capitol’s largest and most important hotel from the
pre-motel era and is the only intact hotel building
remaining in Springfield from that period of time. Much
of its prominence comes from the proximity to the
railroad station which served as the front door to the
city. The building attracted thousands of guests over
the years including many notables such as Dwight D.
Eisenhower, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Hubert
Humphrey, Carl Sandberg, and Chicago Mayor Richard J.
Daley. The hotel became a major gathering place for
legislators and was renowned as an unofficial State
House annex due to the political activity that took
place within its walls. In 1970, it became the focus of
nationwide attention when $800,000 was found in shoe
boxes in the room of the recently deceased Paul Powell,
former Illinois Secretary of State. Today the structure
is used as an apartment building. The exteriors of both
the main building and the annex are amazingly intact
with all details in place.
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