The Story
Built by Alex Carlton Johnson, a vice president of the Chicago & North Western Railroad, construction began August 19, 1927 — one day before groundbreaking on Mount Rushmore — and the eight-story hotel opened July 1, 1928, pairing a Germanic/Tudor exterior with Western and Lakota-inspired interiors. Alfred Hitchcock filmed "North by Northwest" sequences here in 1958-59, reportedly staying with Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint. Room 812's "Lady in White" ghost story is enough of a fixture that the hotel sells a paranormal-investigation package. It operates today in Hilton's Curio Collection.
Surprising Facts
→ It broke ground August 19, 1927 — literally one day before Borglum began Mount Rushmore.
→ Hitchcock filmed "North by Northwest" here and reportedly stayed with Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint.
→ Room 812's ghost legend is marketed with an EMF-reader "Ghost Adventure" package.