The 17-story hotel was designed by Holabird & Roche and finished in 1914.

Designed in the Venetian Renaissance style, the hotel was built with gray and reddish brown brick and featured terra cotta ornamentation.

The lobby features two murals by local artist Edgar Cameron depicting scenes of Fort Dearborn.

The hotel was built to serve businessmen during a period of extensive hotel construction in Chicago; its site was chosen for its access to transportation, as it was located near LaSalle Street Station and the LaSalle/Van Buren 'L' station.

[3] The Fort Dearborn Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 12, 1982.