History in Englewood

This building was designated a landmark on October 8, 2008.

Arguably America's first serial killer, H.H. Holmes committed many of the 27 murders to which he confessed in his three-story, block-long "murder castle" that doubled as the "World's Fair Hotel" during the 1893 Columbian Exposition.  A graduate of the University of Michigan medical school, Holmes arrived in Illinois seven years prior to the World's Fair, sought out work as a druggist, and bought a small family pharmacy.  When the undeveloped land across the street went on sale, he purchased it and began building his "hotel."  Holmes changed builders every week so that nobody else would know the exact layout.  It was located at 63rd and South Wallace Streets in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago.  There were shops on the main floor, but the upper two floors contained more than 70 rooms in which Holmes conducted his gruesome killings.  There were slanted hallways, stairways to nowhere, doorways opening to brick walls, and doors that could be opened only from the outside.  He killed hotel employees and guests by funneling gas into their rooms.  He put others into a bank vault near his office, leaving them to suffocate.  He threw bodies down a greased chute into the basement, where there were acid pits, poisons, and two furnaces.  The admitted psychopath left Chicago in late 1893, and the castle burned down on August 19, 1895.  The authorities ultimately arrested him in Philadelphia for a murder he committed while living there.  He was hanged at Philadelphia County Prison on May 7, 1896.  In his confession, Holmes wrote, "I was born with the devil in me.  I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing."

Novelist Erik Larson popularized Holmes' grisly tale in the 2003 non-fiction book "Devil In The White City."

In a neighborhood every bit as dangerous as Baghdad, young Derrick Rose spent countless hours on the outdoor basketball court at Murray Park 73rd & South Hermitage Avenue, where he was dunking over defenders as a five-foot, eleven-inch eighth grader.  He led Simeon Rice to consecutive state championships, then, during his freshmen year at college, led the University of Memphis to a national championship game against the University of Kansas.  Seeking the earliest possible payday, he was, as they say, "one and done."  He promptly declared himself eligible for the NBA draft and was selected with the first pick by his hometown Chicago Bulls.  He was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player in 2011.