Not many hotels can boast of ties to both Abraham Lincoln and Al Capone, but the Hotel Julien, on Main Street in Dubuque, Iowa, is unique in many ways. Built in 1839, the hotel used to greet travelers as they crossed the Mississippi River heading West.
In 2009, the hotel underwent an extensive $30 million renovation, modernizing both the interior and exterior, updating all 133 rooms and suites, and adding environmentally friendly touches such as geothermal heating and a reflective roof.
Rumor has it that gangster Al Capone would travel from Chicago to hide away in the Hotel Julien when he needed to lay low.
Enhanced by its colorful past, the elegant property offers an assortment of available meeting spaces, including the 500-person Grande Ballroom, a river terrace and a private dining space for 40 guests in Caroline’s restaurant. (The restaurant is named after Caroline Rhomberg Fischer, the great-great-grandmother of three cousins who today run the Fischer Companies and the hotel.)
