Henry Ives Cobb's 1892 Romanesque landmark stored Jean Lalime's remains and housed Eastland victims—now a restaurant haunted by a child ghost
632 N. Dearborn St, Chicago, IL 60654
Research updated June 2026
Age
21+
Cost
$$$
Asian bistro and nightclub; see website for reservations and pricing
Access
Wheelchair OK
Multi-floor historic building; elevator available
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1892 · Chicago Historical Society · Eastland Disaster Morgue · Jean Lalime Connection · Richardsonian Romanesque Architecture · Chicago Landmark
Henry Ives Cobb completed this building at the corner of Dearborn and Ontario Streets in 1892, intending it as the new home for the Chicago Historical Society after the original Society building burned in the Great Chicago Fire. The granite-faced structure became one of the more striking examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in Chicago, with heavy arched openings, rough-cut stonework, and a commanding corner tower. The Society occupied the building until 1931, when it relocated to Lincoln Park.
Two historical threads connect this address to violent death. Jean Lalime, a French-Canadian fur trader, was killed in 1812 by John Kinzie in what is sometimes described as Chicago's first documented homicide—the circumstances remain disputed, but the killing is well established. Lalime's remains were eventually disinterred and briefly held at the Chicago Historical Society building. The second connection comes from July 1915: following the SS Eastland capsizing in the Chicago River three blocks west, city officials commandeered several large buildings for use as temporary morgues. This building served that function for some of the 844 victims.
After the Historical Society departed, the building passed through a succession of tenants including a publisher, the Works Progress Administration, and the Institute of Design. From the mid-1980s forward it operated as a nightclub, cycling through the names Limelight, Excalibur, Vision, and Castle Chicago. Tao Group opened an Asian bistro and nightclub here in September 2018. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 and designated a Chicago Landmark in 1997.
Sources
The ghost most frequently associated with this building is a child. Multiple witnesses across the Excalibur nightclub years and the current Tao period have described a girl in Victorian-era dress moving through the venue, sometimes heard giggling. The encounters tend to follow a pattern: the figure is spotted skipping or running, then gone. Physical disturbances attributed to the child include patrons being jostled near the staircase and drinks swept from balcony surfaces.
The basement generates its own reports independent of the child apparition. Staff describe the space as consistently colder than the building's climate control should allow, with occasional disembodied voices and objects displaced without obvious cause. The smell of smoke—noticed throughout the building—is attributed speculatively to the building's history as a Great Chicago Fire–era structure, though the current building dates to 1892, 21 years after the fire.
The connection to Jean Lalime and to the Eastland morgue function is frequently cited in ghost tour lore as the origin point for the building's paranormal reputation. Whether either episode accounts for specific reported phenomena is not verifiable. The building has been included in Chicago ghost tour itineraries since at least the Excalibur era of the late 1980s.
Notable Entities
The 1892 Richardsonian Romanesque exterior—granite-clad with arched windows and a heavy stone cornice—is fully visible from the corner of Dearborn and Ontario. The building is a Chicago Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tao's Asian bistro occupies the full building on multiple floors. Reservations strongly recommended. Staff and regulars maintain the building's paranormal lore as part of the dining experience.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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