Chicago's Berlin closes doors after 40 years
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Berlin on Belmont Avenue. Photo: Monica Eng/Axios
The iconic Chicago club Berlin has closed its doors permanently.
What's happening: The owners announced on social media Tuesday that last weekend's performances were the final shows of the club's storied 40-year run.
- "The music is silenced and our dreams are now memories," the club posted on Instagram.
The big picture: The club was part of Chicago's long history of LGBTQ+ establishments in Lakeview, serving as a popular venue for the city's drag performing community.
- Berlin's owners have coined the club as the best "non-gay gay bar" in Chicago because everyone was welcome. Celebrities like Elton John, John Waters, and Donna Karan have been seen on the dance floor.
What they're saying: "Berlin was on the cutting edge of queer Chicago for 40 years," LGBTQ+ historian Owen Keehnen tells Axios.
- "Berlin fostered friendships, romances and brought people together to dance and have a good time."
Flashback: After original owner Tim Sullivan died of AIDS in 1994, current owners Jim Schuman and Jo Webster took over.
- "It was about creating a safe space for those who just didn't fit in a mold," Webster told the Tribune in 2013.
Context: Management had recently clashed with the club's newly formed union. Drag performers, staff and patrons had staged a months-long boycott, citing work conditions and low wages.
- Club management had previously said the union's demands would force them to close.
Yes, but: The boycott wasn't mentioned in the club's announcement that it's closing.
- The Berlin union said they "continue to believe that businesses that refuse to value our work above minimum wage do not belong in our community."
The bottom line: "The final chapter will surely be written by the essayists, the journalists, and memorialized in tribute events and documentaries," the club wrote, "but the magic that happened at 954 W. Belmont will never be recreated."
Editor's note: This story was updated to add comment from Owen Keehnen and the Berlin union.