The hotel was named for Orsemus Morrison , the first coroner in Chicago , who bought the site in 1838 and in 1860 built a three-story hotel with 21 rooms . Destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 , this was replaced by an eight-story building . In 1915 Harry C. Moir , who had bought the property from Morrison 's nephew , built a 21-floor , 500-room hotel designed by Marshall and Fox . The hotel was expanded by 650 rooms in 1918 . In 1925 Holabird & Roche further expanded it , adding a 46-story tower . The hotel had 1,800 rooms in 1931 . A fourth , 21-story section was then added , bringing the number of rooms to 2,210 , but was sold in 1937 , becoming the Hotel Chicagoan ; in the 1950s this was operated under lease by the Morrison . In 1952 a syndicate bought the Morrison and renovated it
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
Morrison Hotel (Chicago)