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The Ohio House Motel in western downtown Chicago, at LaSalle and Ohio Street. Fifty years later, this tiny independent motel is still going strong.
Distinguished by its funky diamond motif, the Ohio House is a vintage slice of roadside Americana plopped down right in the middle of downtown Chicago. Apart from the diamond roofline, other points of interest include the matching suspended sign, held up by a geometric metal grid which is itself reflected in the pattern block fence that runs along Ohio Street. Rough-faced stone walls and a large stainless steel sign on the east facade add to it’s distinctly Chicago Mid-Century design.
Planning for the Ohio House began in 1959, when the Miller Development Company proposed a 48-room motel on a downtown lot owned by the Chicago Board of Education, which had previously held a school. Architect was Arthur Salk of
Shayman and Salk, who also designed the Summit Motel on Lincoln and the LaSalle Motor Lodge at LaSalle & Superior (now a Howard Johnson); the firm’s stamp was also on many apartment buildings in the inner suburbs. Construction cost was $500,000. The development needed a zoning variance to build at the back of the lot (without a rear yard) and for its deficit of off-street parking
In the late 1990s, as the neighborhood transitioned from seedy to gentrified, the motel’s owner planned to demolish the motel and replace it with a far larger chain franchise. The building’s demolition was announced as imminent in 2001. Yet the plans never went through, and the motel still offers clean and remarkably affordable rooms right in downtown.
We look forward to welcoming you; we hope you enjoy our recently renovated accommodations and complimentary parking. We're to make your stay great while you take in our city.
*Please note the hotel will be undergoing renovation 2/7/2022-7/1/2022*
ATTENTION: (COVID 19 UPDATE) Please note that due to the COVID 19 check-in time is until 11 pm daily. No check-in is available pass 11 pm daily.
Our Safety Guidelines
- Rooms and common areas are being sanitized daily.
- Employee body temperatures are being measured daily.
- Proper signage has been placed throughout property to avoid the spread of Covid-19.
- Masks are required to receive service.
