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Forgotten Bars
Posted by: fleurblue (---.proxy.aol.com)
Date: January 13, 2013 01:18PM

This is an amazing compilation of former bars in Chicago--The Chicago Bar Project.


http://www.chibarproject.com/WholeList.htm#Gone

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: nordsider (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 13, 2013 01:50PM

I see the Old Town Ale House, that was located at the southwest corner of Wieland and North Avenue is not on the list?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2013 01:56PM by nordsider.

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: jak378 (---.hsd1.fl.comcast.net)
Date: January 13, 2013 05:08PM

Old Town Ale House is in there, under Old Town South of North Ave. What I did not find was "Chances R." Maybe the did go broke.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/13/2013 05:09PM by jak378.

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: nordsider (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: January 13, 2013 05:36PM

jak378 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Old Town Ale House is in there, under Old Town
> South of North Ave. What I did not find was
> "Chances R." Maybe the did go broke.

It is not the orginal Old Town Ale House that was orginally located at 227 West North Avenue. . . and is the only real Chicago bar that I know of that had a brief mention in a novel --- Crossing California by Adam Langer.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/15/2013 06:29PM by nordsider.

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: rjzak (---.lightspeed.nsvltn.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 15, 2013 04:59PM

My parents had a bar for about 2-2.5 years on the SW side in Brighton Park. It was located on the corner of 39th & California. My Dad grew up right across the street and after my sister & I were born, they moved to there in the mid 50's. I don't know what they called the place - just wondering if a "bar" is still located at that corner

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: Rustymuscle (---.lightspeed.elgnil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 15, 2013 06:03PM

Rjzak, was the bar address on California or 39th?

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: ambrosemario (---.hsd1.in.comcast.net)
Date: January 15, 2013 09:06PM

My travels frequently take me through Southside neighborhoods like McKinley Park, Bridgeport, Back of the Yards, etc. And I can say that most of the neighborhood bars are long gone. As any Southsider over the age of 40 will recall that almost every main street corner (California, Damen, Halstead, just to pick three) had at least one tavern and sometimes two or three. In neighborhoods like Bridgeport, Canaryville and a few others it was not uncommon to find neighborhood bars not only on the corners, but in the middle of side-street blocks. The second Mayor Daley was instrumental in reducing the number of liquor licenses in Chicago. In addition, it became much more difficult for neighborhood saloon owners to make a living as peoples drinking habits changed. Back in the early 70s my friends and I made it a practice to visit a different Southside bar on our way home from White Sox games. More often than not, we had more fun at the bar than watching the Sox lose. Fortunately, the Sox fortunes changed with the Southside Hit-men of 1977!

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: rjzak (---.lightspeed.nsvltn.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 16, 2013 06:51PM

Rusty Muscle:

My parents bar was on the corner of 39th Place & California Ave. Across the street used to be an independent grocery store.
THe cops from the police station at Pershing & California used to come to the bar in the 50's, after their shift, to cash their checks and have a few drinks before going home.
A guy that my folks hired to help out with the bar went by the nickname "Peanuts". That's all I know/remember.

We all lived behind the tavern in a first floor flat. WHen you opened the door from our kitchen, you could see the bar.

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: Rustymuscle (---.lightspeed.elgnil.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 16, 2013 08:42PM

To the point of bars all over Chicago by ambrosiomario, if we look at a early classified phone books we will find hundreds if not thousands of "saloons" all across Chicago. It's amazing how it's changed.

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: Julie (---.war.clearwire-wmx.net)
Date: January 19, 2013 12:48AM

ambrosemario Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> My travels frequently take me through Southside
> neighborhoods like McKinley Park, Bridgeport, Back
> of the Yards, etc. And I can say that most of the
> neighborhood bars are long gone. As any Southsider
> over the age of 40 will recall that almost every
> main street corner (California, Damen, Halstead,
> just to pick three) had at least one tavern and
> sometimes two or three. In neighborhoods like
> Bridgeport, Canaryville and a few others it was
> not uncommon to find neighborhood bars not only on
> the corners, but in the middle of side-street
> blocks. The second Mayor Daley was instrumental in
> reducing the number of liquor licenses in Chicago.
> In addition, it became much more difficult for
> neighborhood saloon owners to make a living as
> peoples drinking habits changed. Back in the early
> 70s my friends and I made it a practice to visit a
> different Southside bar on our way home from White
> Sox games. More often than not, we had more fun at
> the bar than watching the Sox lose. Fortunately,
> the Sox fortunes changed with the Southside
> Hit-men of 1977!


I remember those corner bars....specifically the one's my dad would take me to - they we're so worried about kids being there. The 2 I remember most were Skip and Virg's, on 48 and Paulina, and Sakora Hall on 48th and Marshfiels. That one was also a rooming house for men where my dad lived..

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: jak378 (---.hsd1.fl.comcast.net)
Date: January 19, 2013 03:40PM

Julie Wrote:

>
> I remember those corner bars....specifically the
> one's my dad would take me to - they we're so
> worried about kids being there. The 2 I remember
> most were Skip and Virg's, on 48 and Paulina, and
> Sakora Hall on 48th and Marshfiels. That one was
> also a rooming house for men where my dad lived..


48th and Marshfield was that, or did it become the Character Inn, or was that at 46th and Marshfield. Great place to eat and drink, but the memory is fading.

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: ambrosemario (---.hsd1.in.comcast.net)
Date: January 19, 2013 06:41PM

My favorite Southside neighborhood bars were those that also served food. I'm talking about places with tables opposite the bar or maybe a rear dining room. I don't know that I ever had a bad meal in one of those joints. The husband tended bar and the wife ran the kitchen. Great ethnic food; Italian, German, Polish, Lithuanian. So much has changed on the Southside in the last 30/40 years are any of these places left?

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: Julie (---.war.clearwire-wmx.net)
Date: January 19, 2013 08:58PM

jak378 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

>
>
> 48th and Marshfield was that, or did it become the
> Character Inn, or was that at 46th and Marshfield.
> Great place to eat and drink, but the memory is
> fading.


Definitely 48th and Marshfield. I just checked google. The building looks vacant now. The buildong that housed Skip and Virg's isn't there. I looks like it was replaced with a laundrymat.

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: rockislandfan (---.lightspeed.cicril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: January 19, 2013 09:08PM

Let's not forget the Beverly House at 103rd/Beverly/Vincennes. Generous cocktails and great steaks and neighborhood comraderie.

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: ambrosemario (---.hsd1.in.comcast.net)
Date: January 20, 2013 01:32AM

Ah, the Beverly House. The owners were Sam & Eva Corkolo (sp?). I worked there weekends as a dishwasher in 7th and 8th grade. I was paid $10 for a 10 hour shift. One afternoon Sam asked if I could go home and change into a shirt and tie, saying they were short busboys for a wedding reception. I ran home as fast as I could. I worked just 5 hours at that wedding and earned $40 in pay and tips. Huge money then. For a while in the early 60's they experimented with big time entertainment. Liberace was one of the names I recall performing there. The Beverly House was a special place.

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: terry m (---.hsd1.fl.comcast.net)
Date: January 31, 2013 08:15PM

how about raseines the german bru pub

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: richard (---.tzwe1.win.bigpond.net.au)
Date: February 05, 2013 03:27AM

Does anyone remember a bar from the 1950s/60s called the Pirate's Den near Loyola University's lake shore campus? It was on Sheridan Road/Broadway about 2 or 3 blocks south of Devon. Unknown to most patrons, it had a secret barroom in the back that dated back to speakeasy days. Owned by Mary, run by Van.

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: coops4 (---.hsd1.il.comcast.net)
Date: February 07, 2013 10:50PM

Character Inn was on 46th and Marshfield.

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Re: Forgotten Bars
Posted by: cookie1952 (---.dsl.emhril.sbcglobal.net)
Date: February 11, 2013 03:40PM

Does anyone have info on a bar called Playtown from the 1940-1950's? It was in Lakeview or Lincoln Park neighborhood. Possibly near or on Lincoln. My parents met there in the late 1940's.

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