The brothers’ master plan was a hotel to inspire wonder and emulation—and for nearly a century, the Drake brothers’ dream in Chicago has endured. Conceived by John and Tracy Drake, The Drake Hotel was highly acclaimed from the outset, its rise to fame hastened by the popularity of the radio broadcasts it delivered to a nation weary from war and ready for change. The circular door’s wooden frame, complete with painstakingly carved filigree, ushered in The Drake’s first distinguished guests on New Year’s Eve in 1920. Standing upon the checkered Bottacino marble floor, guests marveled in wonder at one of the nation’s first urban resorts—by every measure, an auspicious beginning.