A look back into the 1930's

In the early 1930’s, the Knickerbocker Hotel had resident guests as well as transient guests. Mary Belle Spaulding was among many of our resident guests. Ms. Spaulding arrived in Chicago with a family letter of introduction to launch a life insurance sales career. New Clientele was largely comprised of North Shore and Gold Coast families. In the 1930’s, the Knickerbocker’s Continental room was a library that contained over 8000 volumes. This library was where Ms. Spaulding met with new client prospects. Her career prospered so much that she had a Steele safety deposit box chained to the floor of her bedroom closet, containing a vast jewelry collection.