Congratulations Chicago Sightseeing Company! The Chicago Sightseeing Company (Chicago Gray Line) is celebrating 100 years of telling the history, legends and lore of Chicago to visitors of the Windy City. Originally founded in 1907, the Chicago Sightseeing Company was purchased by Henry Ferrone and his wife Fannie in 1919. The company has been in the family since with Henry’s sons Donald and Francis ‘Fran’ Ferrone running the operation and a third generation Ferrone businessman, Christopher who is the VP of Logistics and Engineering. The Ferrone family has played a leading role in the Chicago tourism industry in the 20th century and continues to demonstrate excellence in the tourism and sightseeing industry in the 21st.
The Chicago Sightseeing Company Story

The sleek, luxuriously appointed buses, trolleys and upper-deckers that introduce visiting sightseers to Chicago’s remarkable attractions today are a far cry from the vintage touring coaches boarded by eager tourists back in the summer of 1907. Over the last century, trends in passenger transport have changed as dramatically as the city’s magnificent skyline while the chameleon-like Chicago Sightseeing Company has remained at the industry’s forefront. This year, the Company celebrates a significant milestone: its 100th anniversary. While time has changed many aspects of the business, it has not changed the company’s dedication to service and to the city of Chicago.

As the originator of sightseeing and shuttle bus systems in Chicago, Chicago Sightseeing Company is tantamount with Chicago travel and tourism. This distinction, in addition to an impressive family history, is a matter of pride for Donald and Francis Ferrone, who currently own and operate the company. Their late father, Henry Ferrone, was not only the founder of the American Sightseeing Association, he also played a pioneering role in Chicago’s sightseeing industry and was a driving force in establishing quality bus tours for the traveling public.

Born in 1889, Henry Ferrone grew up on the near west side of Chicago. One of six children, Henry dropped out of school in the sixth grade to sell newspapers in Chicago’s Loop on the southwest corner of State and Quincy. The first owners of Chicago/Sightseeing were regulars at Henry’s newsstand, which was located in front of the Great Northern Hotel and whose lobby served as the starting point for the company’s sightseeing tours. Fascinated by the heated conversations he overheard regarding Chicago’s sightseeing industry and by the business practices he witnessed the businessmen employ near his sandwich included every high-pressure hawking tactic short of tugging at the shirt sleeves of passerbys-the street smart entrepreneur became determined that he could run things with more class and garner more profit given the right opportunity.

That opportunity came along in 1919 when Henry, who had recently returned from service in World War I, purchased the majority stock of Chicago Sightseeing, eventually incorporating it as Chicago Sightseeing Company. With Henry wearing the captain’s hat, the small business offered three essential tours via touring cars and omnibuses: the north side tour, the south side tour and the grand tour which included sights from both sides of Chicago.

Like most businessmen in the United States during the 1920s, Henry struggled to expand his new company, acquiring all the stock in 1928. His difficulties continued until 1933 when the famous Century of Progress Exposition World’s Fair came to town, bringing with it millions of tourists from throughout the world. Offering many diversified tours, including an admission to see Sally Rand and her “famous fan”-one of the most popular attractions at the fair, Chicago Sightseeing Company appealed to the crowds flocking to the city. Not only did it shuttle visitors back and forth to the fairgrounds, its tours introduced them to Chicago’s natural and architectural wonders, thriving commercial district, colorful ethnic neighborhoods and even the city’s notorious “Skid Row.” The boom in business allowed Henry to purchase additional equipment and to enhance his operation.

Business rolled along nicely until the outbreak of World War II, when it was declared that fuel would no longer be available for luxury-type bus services. Undeterred by these restrictions, Henry, who was now the operator of one of the nation’s leading tour services, obtained government contracts that would allow him to transport employees of local defense plants to and from work using thirty school-type buses operating around the clock. This was not Henry’s first experience with supporting the war effort. He was awarded the Purple Heart after being wounded in World War I where he served in the famous 42nd Rainbow Division and the Fighting 69th lnfantry Regiment. Hollywood produced a film starring James Cagney and Pat O’Brien, noting the famous poet Joyce Kilmer. He called “the Fighting 69th’, a factual adaptation of the 165th lnfantry Division (New York’s original 69th) participation in World War I in France , assisting the French Army in overcoming the German Army for a final victory ending the War. Now Henry proudly served his country again, fulfilling the contracts until the war ended in 1945.

After the war, Americans began traveling again in greater numbers. In order to better compete with Gray Line Worldwide Association’s many franchises, Henry formed the American Sightseeing Association in 1947. He solicited three independent and professionally licensed sightseeing operators from New York, Boston and Salt Lake City. Banded together, the non-profit organization allowed each business to market their individual companies under one banner. The association continued to grow to include a total of 50 operators that performed daily sightseeing bus and cruise tours throughout the U.S. and the Caribbean Islands. This allowed the company to compete for the tourism market on an international level as well as a domestic one.

A year after founding the association, American Sightseeing-Chicago, as it was now called, was selected as the official Sightseeing Tour Operator and the Shuttle Bus Operator for the 1948 International Lions Annual Convention in Chicago. The convention brought 25,000 Lion members and their families to the city, and American Sightseeing transported nearly 10,000 of those members and guests on its two-hour narrated tour of Chicago in three days, making it the largest sightseeing bus tour contract in the country.

The company continued to score big contracts. In 1950, it was awarded the shuttle bus contract for the largest trade show held in the U.S. at the time-Print 50. Printers from around the globe attended the show held in the International Amphitheatre, and American Sightseeing was responsible for transporting them to and from the big show.

With the outbreak of the Korean War that same year, the tourism industry was cut in half. In order to pick up the slack for the lack of sightseers, Henry purchased a fleet of Packard limousines in 1950 to service local clientele.

On July 7, 1955, American Sightseeing was dealt a heavy blow when Henry Ferrone passed away. He left more than his company to his loving wife, Fannie, and sons Donald and Francis; he left a legacy of entrepreneurial spirit, top-notch service and a love of Chicago.

Despite having assisted their father from the time they were young and having been thoroughly briefed in every detail of the sightseeing industry, the next five years were a struggle for Don and Fran, who were competing against older men for Chicago’s sightseeing dollars. In order to contend with the likes of Gray Line World Wide Company, which had four times the equipment and controlled a majority of the bus tour market, Don and Fran started The Nightclub Tour. This new twist on the standard city tour was incredibly popular, and it included stops at famous nightclubs of the time like the Chez Paree, The Empire Room, The Villa Venice and Mangam’s Chateau. These clubs featured some of the nation’s top entertainers, from Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin to Liberace and Red Skelton. The tour also included visits to unique local entertainment hot spots such as Ivanhoe, Tip Top Tap (which was nested on top of the Allerton Hotel), Boulevard Room, Club Waikiki and the Blue Angel. Once the bright lights of television and Las Vegas began drawing these top entertainers away from Chicago in the early ’60s, The Nightclub Tour was retired.

But Don and Fran had plenty to keep them busy. In 1961, they opened Modern Travel Service Inc. to provide individuals with domestic and international airfare in addition to rail, steamship and other common carrier services. The most popular program was the international seminars for medical, construction and other types of organizations in which Don and Fran provided Air Tour Packages to exciting locales in Europe, South America, Australia, Mexico, Hawaii and more. Some of these tours Don and Fran took a hands-on approach to, escorting their customers themselves. Today, the company still provides group travel to affinity organizations, but stopped offering individual ticketing after September 11, 2001.

The growth of the trade show industry in Chicago opened up another travel market, and the Ferrone brothers were quick to jump on the new opportunity. From 1963 through the 1980s, American Sightseeing controlled the majority of Chicago’s trade show shuttle bus contracts to carry the show’s attendees between their hotel and the show’s venue. Some of these shows included the largest and most prestigious shows held in Chicago such as the Chicago Dental Expo, The Auto Show, the International Plastics Expo, the National Restaurant show, the International Machine Tool Show, the Packaging Machinery Show, Consumer Electronics Show and the largest of them all, the 1975 CONEXPO Show, which drew 140,000 registered attendees using 22,000 hotel rooms over a five day period.

During this time, the Ferrones also started a common carrier shuttle service between O’Hare Airport and resorts in Wisconsin, with interim stops in between. Although the service ended in 2001, the name O’Hare Express still operates in other markets of the company’s total services.

In June 1982, American Sightseeing provided service of another kind when it was called upon to serve royalty visiting Chicago. Her Majesty Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, her husband the Crown Prince Claus and their royal entourage were given a two-hour tour of Chicago’s attractions in American Sightseeing’s new glass-top sightseeing coach, leading the Ferrones to declare their deluxe coaches as truly “fit for a queen.” Donald Ferrone mused that while this was definitely a first for Chicago, it was also probably the first time a royal family elected to view any American city by bus.

That same decade brought more firsts for Chicago and for the company. As one of the world’s busiest airports, O’Hare began construction on an international terminal in 1985. American Sightseeing’s sister-firm, the O’Hare Wisconsin Limousine Service Inc., was awarded a five year contract with the city to carry international airline passengers between the temporary terminal and the airport tarmac. By the time the contract ended, international travel had grown exponentially and O’Hare Wisconsin Limousine’s contract required three times the equipment that had been originally contracted-a tribute to Chicago’s aggressive marketing for tourism and trade shows.

On July 1 , 1991, the Ferrones acquired the Gray Line Tour franchise, which was founded in 191 0, and combined their equipment to provide the ultimate in local sightseeing, tour and shuttle bus service for tourists, convention and trade shows in Chicago. It took four decades to attain the company, but the Ferrone perseverance prevailed once again.

Throughout the years, American Sightseeing-Chicago has continued to serve the city. In 1994, when Governor Edgar and Mayor Daley broke the ribbon at the Navy Pier renovation ceremony, the Ferrones donated three new trolleys for local government and civic guests to tour the newly revamped Pier. Today, Navy Pier draws more tourists and local residents annually than any other attraction in the Chicagoland area.

Don and Fran are constantly seeking new markets and ways to serve the public. In April 1996, their O’Hare Wisconsin Limousine Service company was selected to join the Trailways National Bus System organization, having a local banner ‘Prairie Trailways’ providing deluxe coaches for charter. Since the death of their father, Don and Fran have continued to provide the traveling public innovative ideas for tours and transportation, always offering something new and different to their customers.

They present sightseers with unique opportunities such as Behind the Scene’s Tours of Blues Musicians Art Works, Jazz and Blues Programs. All a part of Gray Line’s Blue Diamond Collection of Tours. In addition American Sightseeing offers Grand Classic Tours of Chicago’s famous architectural, cultural and historic landmarks and sights. Combined Chicago Sightseeing and Gray Line are truly, the local expert on sightseeing in Chicago.

The company’s current fleet of deluxe buses, trolleys and bright yellow upper-deckers-which have the words “Top Banana” printed on them because, as Don and Fran have declared, Chicago is the top city in America-provide unobstructed views of the city’s sights over traffic and the finest service to Chicago’s sightseers.

It is this rich history that has given American Sightseeing tours the distinct air of an “authentic” Chicago experience. Because regardless of how far the historic brand has come, (American Sightseeing, Gray Line, Trailways) whether by bus, trolley or upper-decker, the ultimate goal remains the same -to show the world all of the great reasons why the company has been proud to call Chicago its home for the past century.

Reproduced from Chicago Sightseeing Company’s “Pioneers of Sightseeing Coach Tours & Shuttle Bus Services – Proudly Serving Chicago for 100 Years”

Planning your next vacation to Chicago or other top American destinations? Look no further than Trusted Tours and Attractions… a proud partner of Chicago Sightseeing Company and other great American tours and attractions.

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