The first time that Hilton Hotels Corporation ever agreed to operate a restaurant in a private complex that was not a Hilton Hotel was at Marina City. On May 8, 1963, it was announced Hilton had signed a $2 million lease, negotiated by Charles Swibel, to operate restaurant and catering facilities at Marina City. The restaurant would be located on the south side of the commercial platform, above the marina and overlooking the Chicago River.

Marina City commercial block from directly across Chicago River in 2007.

The restaurant, open from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., would have private dining rooms, a cocktail lounge, coffee shop, and soda fountain. A 5,000 square foot banquet hall would accommodate 500 diners. The coffee shop and soda fountain would face the year-round skating rink that was yet to be built. Outdoor dining would be provided in an area between the riverfront and the plaza that lead to the apartment and office buildings.

On April 11, 1964, despite a problem with the plumbing, the three main dining rooms at Marina City were shown off for the first time to a private benefit for St. Joseph Hospital. Kay Loring of the Chicago Tribune described the dining rooms as “colorful and finely done, with a nautical and Victorian air pervading them.”

Designed by Samuel Horowitz and Milton Zick, Parlours and Galley & Grog were separated by a bar called the Ship’s Lounge, which was built in the shape of a ship. Parlours was more formal, designed in reds and golds, with crystal chandeliers, Regency dining chairs upholstered in gold-figured red fabric, and gold carpeting.

Galley & Grog was finished in greens and browns. The bar was made of wine barrels. Chairs and wooden tables looked like they came from an actual ship. Wine was served from three wine casks.

With red and white striped ice cream parlour chairs, Viennese Coffee Shop, which would specialize in Viennese pastries, was designed to look like a sidewalk cafe. It was open from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.

Originally managing the restaurants for Hilton was German-born Rolf Lehmann. Norman Nussbaum took over in mid-1964. It was his idea to have a ship’s bell rung when an important-looking craft appeared on the river. The name of the ship and its home port were then announced.

By July 1965, the restaurant manager was William Curtis. In mid-1965, he opened Pier Too at Marina City, an informal restaurant with servers called “Pierettes” who wore Mandarin dresses.

(Left) Every day at 5:30 p.m., the ship’s bell in the Ship’s Bar & Lounge at Marina City would be rung and anyone sitting at the bar could buy for five cents another of what they were currently drinking.

Newspaper photo (unknown source, circa 1963) from Dearborn Street south of Wacker Drive, showing 19th floor of of west tower parking ramp still under construction.

The incredible shrinking marina

1,000 boats in 1959. 700 boats in 1961. And in 1963, the estimate for number of boats the marina at Marina City would accommodate was down to 500.

Still, on November 6, 1963, Phillips Petroleum Company (now ConocoPhillips Company) signed a multi-million dollar 20-year lease to operate the marina. Phillips operated a “Pier 66” in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and planned to call this marina Pier 66, also. They eventually settled on the name “Phillips 66 Marina.”

Six large slips would be built to move boats to and from the water. A concrete and steel seawall, built by Chicago and North Western Railway when they owned the land, kept water away from the slips while they were constructed. Later that month, divers removed the 280-foot bulkhead, allowing water into the marina.

Dynamite was used to do this. A barge was tied up alongside the seawall and closest to the State Street bridge. Large mats were placed over the area being blasted to limit noise and debris. Windows were reinforced on the restaurant being constructed above the marina. Water was pumped into the slips behind the bulkhead to equalize pressure.

More than 80 pounds of dynamite were used to break up the reinforced concrete. Holes were drilled into the concrete, into which sticks of dynamite were placed and then detonated. After rubble from the blast was hauled onto the barge, a diver then cut away the steel at the bottom of the seawall. (Left) Photo in Chicago Tribune on November 28, 1963 shows Malcolm Ball (left) and Charles Swibel (right) looking at rubble left by the dynamite. Ball was president of Precision Blasting Company of St. Charles, Illinois. The blasting was done over a few days, beginning on Wednesday, November 27, 1963,

Former resident Earl Meech was home in the west tower when the seawall was blasted. “Since my balcony was directly over the river, I had a good view. I had guests at the time and we were sitting in the living room when hearing and feeling the first blast.”

He says the mats muffled the sound, “but we knew it was close.”

(Left) Marina City in 1963, photographed by Larry Dodson for Cameo Greeting Cards, Inc. (Below) Closer detail of seawall.

Marina at Marina City. State Street bridge in distance (being repaired in summer 2007).

A Marina City newsletter from 1964 says a boat could be launched in five minutes “with a casual flip of a switch and push of a button.” At left, a 27-foot Chris Craft owned by Marina City resident Roy Fried is lowered into a slip.

A special mechanism was installed to keep water from freezing in the slips in winter. It sent warmer water at the bottom of the river to the surface.

Boats would be stored at the marina during either the summer or winter season, and owners would pay rent based on the size of their boat. The minimum would be $180 for summer storage and $100 for winter storage.

Tom Dollnig was manager when the marina opened on June 1, 1964. He expected a sales showroom to be completed by mid-July. (Left) Dollnig operates an electric hoist capable of lifting a craft weighing six tons. (Below) The hoist control, photographed in 2007.

Battle for control of Marina City

On May 5, 1964, as the Building Service Employees International Union met in Los Angeles, a battle was looming for control of Marina City.

David Sullivan would be re-elected president of the union at the convention. William McFetridge, who voluntarily stepped down as president four years earlier after 20 years of service, wanted full control of Marina City. He did not want to share that responsibility with the other unions who had invested in the project. Either they would sell their share to him at a 25-percent return on investment, or McFetridge would sell his local’s share to them at the same rate of return.

McFetridge and Sullivan went back. In 1945, McFetridge got Sullivan removed as head of Local 32B in New York. Then later brought him back and even recommended him as his replacement in 1960.

But in 1964, they disagreed over financing and management of Marina City. There were allegations and counter-allegations. One thing was certain, McFetridge was losing control of the union he once led.

There had been speculation that McFetridge would try to regain leadership, but in the end he did not challenge Sullivan’s re-election. And the next day, McFetridge gave up his fight to air his charges of corruption before the convention. Instead, the union’s executive board would hear the charges behind closed doors in Washington on June 3.

Unfortunately for McFetridge, the executive board was led by David Sullivan – and George Fairchild, who as head of Local 4 had been accused by McFetridge of stealing union members from his Local 1. McFetridge had two allies on the board, but was told on May 6 that neither of them would be supported for their re-election bids the following day.

McFetridge also resigned as advisor and consultant to the union, a $15,000-per-year job he had held since retiring as president. He was still president of Local 1 of the Chicago Flat Janitors union, in addition to being president of Marina City Building Corporation.

He told the convention he needed to devote more time to Marina City and couldn’t handle the additional duties as advisor and consultant. But he told the Chicago Tribune, “it is not fair for dues paying members of the union to have to put up $15,000 a year for my salary and expenses as an advisor if my advice isn’t being asked nor heeded.”

At the time, Marina City apartments were 88-percent rented. The convention authorized the executive board to consider McFetridge’s offers to either buy or sell.