Booze, jazz, flappers, gangsters and Prohibition, were very much part of 1920s-30s Chicago and the North Shore. The nationwide prohibition of alcohol was started in Evanston. Fortunately, Evanston has changed. Al Capone ruled the flow of illegal bubbly and the Chicagoland establishments that served it. It was a time of exceptionally well clad men and women enjoying the pleasures of life, behind rotating bookcases and trapdoor basements. The speakeasy was a place of amusement, illegal booze, wild morals and truly revolutionary music.
The “Jazz Age” was born in the speakeasy of 1920s Chicago. The music mirrored a generation of individuals with forward thinking values, in a society that struggled to break loose from a backlash of Victorian values. Jazz musicians such as King Oliver, Bessie Smith, Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong all made Chicago the cultural center of this new sound. These acts played until the wee hours, crowded into back room clubs filled with smoke and generous servings of cocktails. The club owners and gangsters made a fortune.
What is now known as Plaza Del Lago, was a hedonistic playground for 1920s-30s North Shore. The Spanish Court complex was designed by William Keck and financed by the local firm, Bills Realty Corporation. Having conceived the project before the 1929 Stock Market Crash, Bills Realty went ahead with the construction. It housed a cinema, shops and the infamous Miralago Ballroom. A very stylish destination for youths motoring along leafy Sheridan Road.
The Miralago was a Deco styled building with a ship-like exterior and a lavish interior. The shimmering ceiling, marble columns and dazzling lighting hosted illegal booze, gambling and wild parties in contempt of prohibition. Jazz musicians from Chicago speakeasy clubs would perform in it. Rumor has it, Cab Calloway performed a show in the ballroom along with other famous guests.
Miralago’s unincorporated “no man’s land status meant, it was free from being policed by neither Wilmette or Kenilworth. No one could enforce law and order there, making it a haven for all the illegal pleasures of the downtown speakeasy. This status also lead to it’s downfall.
In the Spring of 1932, a fire broke out from within Miralago’s interior, which leveled the building. Neither the Wilmette or Winnetka fire departments came to rescue the ballroom. Evanston’s fire department answered the call but Wilmette had turned off the water. It’s infamous reputation must have hindered it from making friends with it’s neighbours. Unfortunately, the club was never rebuilt, leaving it to the pages of history.
Another club known for it’s excellent drinks and infamous company was, the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge in Chicago. I’m sure the “Cocktail” bit was not openly advertised in the 1920s-1930s. The club was frequented by Al Capone. “Machinegun” Jack McGurn, was one of the clubs mobster owners. He held a 25% of it’s ownership and persauded singer/comedian Joe E. Lewis to perform there. The Green Mill was well known to many out of town acts, including Frank Sinatra. It was even a hangout for Charlie Chaplin. Many actors and society members of the day, mingled with the local crowd. Whenever Capone entered the club, the band would play his favourite, “Rhapsody in Blue”.
To this day, the Green Mill plays live Jazz, in it’s vintage speakeasy decor and ambience. It’s a fantastic piece of Chicago musical history. The Green Mill holds the legacy of the worlds greatest Jazz night spot, if not the oldest. Little if anything has changed in the club. Live Jazz and other contemporary forms of music can still be heard there. I’d suggest a visit for a couple Martini’s and a night of memorable entertainment. It’s rumored, Al Capone’s ghost still comes to the club for an evening of lounging with a fat cigar and a cocktail. I’d recommend not sitting in his favourite booth.
Click here for the Green Mill Jazz Club website, for a current lineup.
