Green Door Tavern

The Green Door Tavern is reputedly Chicago's oldest surviving drinking establishment.[1] It opened in 1921, but the building dates from 1872.[1][2]

Green Door Tavern
FormerlyHuron-Orleans Restaurant
TypeTavern
Founded1921 (1921)
FounderVito Giacomoni
Headquarters
Chicago
,
United States
Websitegreendoorchicago.com

History

The building, at 678 N. Orleans St. (700N, 300W), Chicago, Illinois, United States, was erected in 1872 by James McCole, just one year after the Great Chicago Fire.[1][2] It has a wooden frame, a building technique outlawed in the Central Business District by an ordinance passed by Chicago City Council shortly afterwards.[1] The original tenant was Lawrence P. Elk, who used the ground floor as a grocery store and lived upstairs.[1] It was converted to a dining establishment, the Huron-Orleans Restaurant, run by Vito Giacomoni, in 1921. His sons Jack and Nello ran it as a speakeasy during the prohibition.[1]

In the 1930s, the bar acquired the nickname "The Green Door", and this was eventually adopted formally.[1]

George Parenti purchased the bar from the Giacomoni brothers in August 1985.[1]

The structure developed a lean from plumb in its early years, due to the construction techniques used at the time, and this is still noticeable.[1]

In January 2015, a small, speakeasy-like space opened in the basement known as "The Drifter."[3][4] A rotating cocktail list is featured on tarot cards.[5]

References
  1. Parnell, Sean. "Green Door Tavern". The Chicago Bar Project. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  2. "Green Door Tavern, River North". Metromix Chicago. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  3. Gerzina, Daniel (2015-01-20). "Former Speakeasy The Drifter, Blind Chef's Restaurant, Burger Bar South Loop, More". Eater Chicago. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  4. Gerzina, Daniel (2015-01-12). "The Drifter to Combine Cocktails, Quirky Performances and Artifacts in an Old Speakeasy". Eater Chicago. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
  5. Gentile, Raf Miastkowski, Jay (2018-11-26). "How to Get Into Chicago's Secret Bars". Thrillist. Retrieved 2019-10-02.
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