Green Mill Cocktail Lounge

Last updated

Green Mill Cocktail Lounge
Green Mill Cocktail Lounge exterior.jpg
Green Mill Cocktail Lounge
General information
Address4802 N. Broadway
Coordinates 41°58′09″N87°39′36″W / 41.9692°N 87.6599°W / 41.9692; -87.6599

The Green Mill Cocktail Lounge (or Green Mill Jazz Club) is an entertainment venue on Broadway in Uptown, Chicago. It is frequently mistaken for the earlier "Green Mill Gardens", which was known for its jazz performances, along with its connections to Chicago mob history. The information below conflates these two separate businesses and their locations. The current day Green Mill Lounge at 4802 W. Broadway first opened in 1935 in the space formerly occupied by a jewelry store named "Wolf's Jewel Shop." [1] Any references to pre-1935 events occurred at the Green Mill Gardens, which was located a few doors north of the current business.

Contents

The business is considered one of the most famous bars in the United States and the most iconic in Illinois. [2] [3]

History

Originally named Pop Morse's Roadhouse, the business opened in 1907. The bar was purchased by Tom Chamales, a real estate developer and tavern owner, and was renamed Green Mill Gardens in 1910, [4] a nod to the famous Moulin Rouge ("Red Mill") of Paris. [5] In its early years, it was a popular hangout for movie actors from nearby Essanay Studios. [6] The namesake gardens were removed in the 1920s during the construction of the Uptown Theatre on the same block. [7]

During the Prohibition era, "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn of Al Capone's Chicago Outfit became a part-owner. Singer and comedian Joe E. Lewis was attacked by McGurn's men in 1927 after he refused to take his act to the Green Mill. Lewis' throat was slashed, but he survived. The incident inspired the 1957 film The Joker Is Wild . [6]

It is alleged that Al Capone's favorite booth is still in the establishment, located directly west of the short end of the bar. However, the current-day Green Mill did not exist at that site until 1935, several years after Capone went to prison, leaving Chicago for good.

It is also alleged that, during Prohibition, patrons of Green Mill Gardens could escape through a series of coal tunnels that run under the entire block, which also connect to the present day Green Mill jazz club through a trap door behind the bar. [8]

The Green Mill
Thaddeus Tukes at the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge.jpg
Vibraphonist Thaddeus Tukes on stage
Green Mill Cocktail Lounge interior.jpg
At the bar. At left is a small table behind the bar honoring Al Capone.

After the end of Prohibition, the Green Mill became a more reputable establishment, attracting many popular jazz acts including Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday and Al Jolson, along with cabaret icons like Texas Guinan: a onetime rodeo rider and vaudeville performer, Guinan reinvented herself during Prohibition as a bawdy, breezy master of ceremonies for cabaret shows at spots like the 300 Club in New York before coming to Chicago for a brief period from 1928 to 1930. [4] [9]

The business began to struggle following World War II. In 1940, the Green Mill was purchased by the Batsis brothers, who sold it in 1960 to Steve Brend. Brend had worked for Jack McGurn as a youngster and was called the "Mayor of Uptown" for his gregarious nature and proclivity for storytelling. During that period, the Green Mill went from a nightlife hub to a place where day drinking and drug use were the norm, but was purchased and revitalized in 1986 by Dave Jemilo, a south-sider and owner of the bar Deja Vu. [4] [6]

On Sunday nights, the Green Mill became home to the Uptown Poetry Slam, the longest-running poetry slam in the country. [10]

Chicago-based comic Whitney Chitwood recorded her 2019 album The Bakery Case live at the Green Mill; the album reached No. 9 on the Billboard comedy chart [11] and was the first comedy album to be recorded at the club. [12]

Recently the Green Mill hosts performers ranging from jazz quartets to swing orchestras who frequently play to a packed house. [13] During quieter performances, staff may ask patrons to put their phones away and refrain from loud talking. [13] Behind the bar stands a small table with a shrine to Al Capone as a tribute to the earlier days. [13]

Over the years, the Green Mill has appeared in many films, such as Thief (1981), Next of Kin (1989), V. I. Warshawski (1991), Prelude to a Kiss (1992), Folks! (1992), A Family Thing (1996), Soul Food (1997), High Fidelity (2000), The Lake House (2006), The Dilemma (2011) and Chicago Overcoat (2010).

In the Star Trek Voyager episode "Course: Oblivion" the Green Mill is mentioned by the character Tom Paris as a "Genuine speakeasy".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Capone</span> American gangster and businessman (1899–1947)

Alphonse Gabriel Capone, sometimes known by the nickname "Scarface", was an American gangster and businessman who attained notoriety during the Prohibition era as the co-founder and boss of the Chicago Outfit from 1925 to 1931. His seven-year reign as a crime boss ended when he went to prison at the age of 33.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Valentine's Day Massacre</span> 1929 gang shooting in Chicago

The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre was the murder of seven members and associates of Chicago's North Side Gang on Saint Valentine's Day 1929. The men were gathered at a Lincoln Park, Chicago, garage on the morning of February 14, 1929. They were lined up against a wall and shot by four unknown assailants, two of whom were disguised as police officers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Texas Guinan</span> American Prohibition era saloon keeper and entrepreneur (1884–1933)

Mary Louise Cecilia "Texas" Guinan was an American actress, producer, and entrepreneur. Born in Texas to Irish immigrant parents, Guinan decided at an early age to become an entertainer. After becoming a star on the New York stage, the repercussions of her involvement in a weight loss scam motivated her to switch careers to the film business. Spending several years in California appearing in numerous productions, she eventually formed her own company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speakeasy</span> Establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages; now, retro-style bars

A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, was an illicit establishment that sold alcoholic beverages. The term may also refer to a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jack McGurn</span> American mobster

Jack "Machine Gun Jack" McGurn was a Sicilian-American boxer, mobster, and eventually a made man and caporegime in Al Capone's Chicago Outfit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uptown, Chicago</span> Community area in Chicago

Uptown is one of Chicago's 77 community areas. Uptown's boundaries are Foster Avenue to the north; Lake Michigan to the east; Montrose Avenue, and Irving Park Road to the south; Ravenswood Avenue, and Clark Street to the west. To the north is Edgewater, to the west is Lincoln Square, and to the south is Lakeview. Near the lake are some of the northern reaches of Lincoln Park, including Montrose Beach and multiple nature reserves. The area has a mix of commercial and residential development, and includes a well-established entertainment district of clubs and concert venues, and was a center for early film making. Truman College, a two-year city college, is located here, and the area's southwest corner includes the historic 19th century Graceland Cemetery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marc Smith (poet)</span> American poet (born 1949)

Marc Kelly Smith is an American poet and founder of the poetry slam movement, for which he received the nickname Slam Papi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Culture of Chicago</span>

The culture of Chicago, Illinois is known for the invention or significant advancement of several performing arts, including improvisational comedy, house music, industrial music, blues, hip hop, gospel, jazz and soul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence station (CTA)</span> Chicago "L" station

Lawrence is a temporarily closed 'L' station on the Chicago Transit Authority's Red Line. It is an elevated station located at 1117 West Lawrence Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. The adjacent stations are Argyle, located about 1⁄3 mile (0.54 km) to the north, and Wilson, about 1⁄4 mile (0.40 km) to the south, serving as alternate stations remaining open while Lawrence is closed for reconstruction. Four tracks pass through the station, though the two western tracks are out of service for reconstruction with all trains passing through without stopping on the two eastern tracks. Prior to demolition in 2021, there was a single island platform in the center of the tracks; Purple Line weekday rush hour express service used the outside tracks and did not stop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe E. Lewis</span> American singer (1902–1971)

Joe E. Lewis was an American comedian, actor and singer.

Claude "Screwy" Maddox, born John Edward Moore, was a Chicago mobster and head of the Circus Cafe Gang whose ranks included future Chicago mobsters Anthony "Tough Tony" Capezio, Vincenzo De Mora and Antonino "Tony" "Joe Batters" Accardo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aragon Ballroom (Chicago)</span> Historic arena opened 1926

The Byline BankAragon Ballroom is a ballroom turned event space located in Chicago in the Uptown neighborhood, approximately 5 miles (8 km) north of Downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uptown Broadway Building</span> United States historic place

The Uptown Broadway Building is a historic three-story building at 4703–4715 North Broadway in Uptown, Chicago. Built in 1926, it was designed by Walter W. Ahlschlager and is known for its ornate terra-cotta facade depicting ancient gods, rams' heads, shields, helmets, birds, fruits, and trophies. Lynn Becker of the Chicago Reader has called the exterior "a riotous, Spanish-baroque-inspired hallucination". According to unconfirmed local legends, Al Capone operated a speakeasy in the building's basement.

The Kiss Kiss Cabaret is a live weekly variety show presenting vaudeville and neo-burlesque on Friday nights at the Uptown Broadway Building in Chicago, IL.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hideout Inn</span> Balloon-frame house in Illinois, United States

Hideout Chicago, also known as Hideout Inn, is a music venue and former factory bar located in an industrial area between the Lincoln Park and Bucktown neighborhoods of Chicago in the Elston Avenue Industrial Corridor. It has been a key Chicago live music venue since it was purchased by friends Tim and Katie Tuten and Mike and Jim Hinchsliff in 1996. When not hosting live music or other events, for some years the Hideout continued to operate as a local neighborhood bar, but as of 2018 is only open in the evenings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabella Patricola</span> American vaudeville performer

Isabella Patricola, known professionally as Miss Patricola or simply Patricola, was an Italian-American vaudeville singer and entertainer popular in the late 1910s and 1920s.

Whitney Chitwood is a stand-up comedian from Chicago. Her debut album, 2019's The Bakery Case, was produced by Grammy winner Dan Schlissel for Stand Up! Records. It reached No. 9 on the Billboard Comedy Albums chart, and No. 1 on the iTunes and Amazon comedy charts.

Marvin Tate is an American artist, poet, and singer-songwriter from Chicago.

References

  1. ↑ Loerzel, Robert (March 31, 2023). "Piecing Together the Green Mill Puzzle: Updated – ROBERT LOERZEL" . Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  2. ↑ "10 of the Most Famous Bars in the US". April 21, 2020.
  3. ↑ "The Most Iconic Bar in Every State (And DC)". April 8, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Sisson, Patrick (March 20, 2014). "An oral history of the Green Mill". Chicago Reader. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  5. ↑ Randolph H. Hudson and Jan Pinkerton. Encyclopedia of the Chicago Literary Renaissance. Infobase Publishing, 2004. 146.
  6. 1 2 3 Arnie Bernstein. Hollywood on Lake Michigan. Lake Claremont Press, 1998. 227-230.
  7. ↑ Harold Henderson. "Uptown History". Chicago Reader . March 30, 2007. Retrieved on March 15, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Under Uptown: The Tunnels Under Broadway That Carried Coal, Capone and More". DNAinfo Chicago. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  9. ↑ Sawyers, June (January 22, 1989). "WHOOPING IT UP, FOR A PRICE, WITH 'TEXAS' GUINAN". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Uptown Poetry Slam turns 21 with bash". Chicago Sun-Times. July 20, 2007. NC27.
  11. ↑ "Chart History: Whitney Chitwood". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  12. ↑ "The 5: Whitney Chitwood's Top Five Queer Haircuts of All Time". The Interrobang. October 25, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2020.
  13. 1 2 3 Bernot, Kate (October 22, 2013). "The essentials: Green Mill". The Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on November 1, 2019. Retrieved November 1, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.