Marigold Gardens

Eitel Brothers
Hotel Astor, New York, postcard ca. 1900–1910.
Nationality	German
Occupation	Hoteliers/restaurateurs
Known for	Bismarck Hotel, Marigold Gardens, Old Heidelberg Inn

The four Brothers Emil, Karl, Robert and Max Eitel, originating from Stuttgart in Germany, operated since 1894 in Chicago as hoteliers and restaurateurs the luxury hotel Bismarck Hotel and some big restaurants such as the Marigold Gardens and the Old Heidelberg Inn. Another brother, the architect Albert Eitel remained in Stuttgart.

The parents of the Eitel brothers were the Stuttgart citizens Emil Eitel (1840–1938) and Charlotte Eitel née Trost (1842–1917).

The father was the son of a baker and grandson of a tanner and worked his way up from a leather worker to a leather merchant (1867–1868) and finally to a leather goods manufacturer (1868–1890). The production of leather goods turned out to be very profitable and Emil Eitel became a wealthy man. He was owner of some villas and two big business houses in central downtown locations. He spent the last 48 years of his life as an independent gentleman and dealt with real estates. He died at the high age of almost 98 years and was buried together with his wife in Stuttgart on the Pragfriedhof cemetery.

The mother of the brothers originated from a vine dresser family in Stuttgart. She gave birth to 11 children. Three of them died before their first birthday. Two sisters survived and the six brothers Emil, Karl, Robert, Max and Otto Eitel as well as the architect Albert Eitel, who as the only one of the brothers did not emigrate.

The table shows the sons and daughters of Emil and Charlotte Eitel, without the three children, who did not survive their first birthday.

In 1890 Emil Eitel emigrated as the first of the Eitel brothers to the United States and settled in Chicago, which was then a center of German immigration and counted half a million ethnic German population. The network and infrastructure of the German community facilitated Emil’s beginnings. The German-born Chicagoans secured the customer base to the trading activities of the brothers and their restaurants, and a large part of their hotel customers recruited from ethnic German travelers.

After Emil Eitel had made a start, he was followed by four of his brothers to Chicago: Charles in 1891, Robert in 1898, Max in 1901 and Otto in 1912. After his immigration, Otto Eitel (October 5, 1884 Stuttgart – May 5, 1972 Chicago), which is not covered here, took over the responsibility for the hotel and garden facilities of the Bismarck Hotel. He later moved to California and made himself a name as a landscape gardener. Albert Eitel remained in Stuttgart, but was at least in 1896, 1910 and 1924 in Chicago as a visitor:

The brothers Emil and Karl founded in Chicago the Bismarck Hotel and the Bismarck Gardens. Robert and Max Eitel operated several large restaurants, including the Old Heidelberg Inn and some fair restaurants. The Eitels were not only very successful business people, but built to be American citizens, however, they also kept up the traditions of their native Germany. They were patrons of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Art Institute of Chicago and members of business associations and ethnically mixed and German clubs. In the wake of the World Wars Emil and Karl Eitel participated in relief efforts of the Red Cross for their German homeland.