Alphonse Gabriel “Al” Capone, formerly banished from official signage in Chicago, has finally earned his rightful place as one of Chicago’s celebrity attractions.

Al Capone & Lexington Hotel

Capone’s name has been put on a City sign marking the location of two former Chicago hotels closely associated with the infamous crime boss - the Lexington and Metropole Hotels. 

The sign says “Both hotels shared the signature of not only elegance but also served as the home to one of Chicago’s most notorious citizens, Al Capone.

Capone and his entourage occupied both hotels in the 1920s and 1930s, and they were outfitted for Capone’s needs with secret stairwells, doors and passages, underground tunnels and every amenity required by their primary resident.”

The Lexington Hotel at the corner of Michigan Avenue and 22nd Street was demolished in 1995 and is now a 31 story condo complex.

Other hotels ‘corrupted’ by Al Capone include the Clay Hotel in South Beach, Miami and the Arlington Hotel in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Room no. 442 was Capone’s favorite room at the Arlington, and he used to book the entire floor. Proof of Capone’s international celebrity is provided by the Al Capone room at the Cotton House Hotel in Budapest, Hungary.

Photos – public domain (source: 1, 2)

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