100 Years Ago Duluth Had The Tallest Hotel In The Northwest US
Duluth has a rich history and was once the home to more millionaires than any other city in the world. That was back in the late 1800s when Duluth was booming from shipping on the Great Lakes. I stumbled on a video the other day that talked about one of Duluth's most famous buildings and how it once was the tallest in the Northwest. Crazy!
The Hotel Duluth opened in 1925. The building still exists now as Greysolon Plaza, and it's still very similar to the original architecture. According to Perfect Duluth Day, the hotel opened on May 8th, 2025, and it was the tallest in the Northwest of the country (remember this was 100 years ago) at 14 stories high.
Hotel Duluth had 400 rooms, and it cost $2.4 million dollars in 1925. In today's money, that would be over $44 million dollars. That's crazy!
Another fun fact is that President John F. Kennedy stayed at the Hotel Duluth in 1963, just 8 weeks before his assassination. He was on a trip throughout the Midwest and western United States. He flew into the Duluth International Airport, took a helicopter to Ashland for an event, and returned to Duluth, spending the night in a suit on the 14th floor of Hotel Duluth. You can read more about the rest of his trip from the Duluth Public Library.
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The hotel was converted in 1980 to create 150 apartments, and the name was changed to Greysolon Plaza. It's also home to the Greysolon Ballroom by Blackwoods and is also home to Genereau & Company, a designer jewelry store.
Check out this video from Arches and Columns for more history and visuals.