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Potter Palmer




Potter Palmer ( 1826 - 1902 ) was a Chicago businessman who was responsible for much of the development of State Street.

Palmer was a partner in a dry goods business with Marshall Field and Levi Leiter . In the 1860s , he left the business to strike out on his own as a real estate developer, leasing a building to his former partners. He built several buildings along State Street on property he owned, including the Palmer House Hotel . When his building were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire , Palmer borrowed $1.7 million to rebuild, the largest amount loaned to an individual up to that time.

In 1871 , he married Bertha Honoré . Potter built a castle for her on Lake Shore Drive in 1885 , leading to the establishment of the " Gold Coast ". Prior to that time, Prairie Avenue was the most desirable address in Chicago.

Palmer is buried in Graceland Cemetery .