Matchbook from the Green Mill

First vintage matchbook I've seen for the Green Mill, available at time of writing from eBay.

Item 300579861235

Broadway and Lawrence Near the Green Mill, Uptown Chicago, 1947

You can see the Green Mill marquee in the background.

Original caption reads: New Sun paper being sold at Broadway and Lawrence. Judy Klein, Charles Hansen, Betty Manning, and Edward Schaefer are questioned by Jim Campbell from WBBM, Sept 29 1947.

Original image available on ebay.

Green Mill Summer Gardens Postcard

Thanks to Steve L. for sending this one in.

Advertisement for the Green Mill Gardens, Uptown Chicago, 1917

When most people thinks of the Green Mill, they picture the intimate little jazz club on Broadway. Few realize how massive--and I mean massive--the club once was.

A few weeks ago I won at auction this advertisement for the Green Mill Sunken Gardens from 1917, and the postal carrier brought it today, much to my delight. (It was otherwise a day for bills. Ugh.)

The fact that you can get a southern chicken dinner for a buck and a quarter is amazing enough...but check out the seating. Two thousands seats in the garden section, and that's just the outdoor portion of the club, open only during the warmer months.

I went ahead and scanned this one at high res, so feel free to use it for your graphics applications. However, if you're going to put it on your Web site or use it commercially, please credit our Web site.

Still can't quite picture how the Green Mill accommodated 2000 people? Well, here's an image we posted in early 2009:

The garden section is approximately where the auditorium portion of the Uptown Theatre now stands.

Green Mill Gardens Ceramic Bowl, Chicago, 1914

I have a few of these in my personal collection, already, so thought I'd give the head's up to someone else. There is a (spaghetti?) bowl currently listed on eBay that came from the Green Mill, located at Lawrence and Broadway. This nearly 100-year-old bit of tableware can be purchased here: 1914 Green Mill Gardens Plate

I sometimes use ours as a cat food dish!

Green Mill Makes Esquire List of Bars Every Man Should Drink In Before He Dies

Green Mill on Best Bar List

Another View of the Green Mill Jazz Club

For more of Dennis O'Malley's Chicago series, and how you can purchase a print, go to Chicago Print Makers.

Loyalty Badge from The Green Mill, Uptown, Chicago Jazz Club

Currently on eBay, a nifty Loyalty Badge from The Green Mill.

Green Mill Sunken Gardens, Broadway and Lawrence, Uptown Chicago

The Web site My Al Capone Museum has a very nice article on the Green Mill Gardens, located at Broadway and Lawrence. While a small portion of the club still remains, much of the ground space was taken over to build the Uptown Theatre.

The advertisement above announced the opening night; the text reads:

Come tonight to the Green Mill Gardens. The coolest spot in Chicago—the only real Sunken Gardens in America—the most novel summer garden where every night is a gala night. Come where you can spend your evening in comfort and pleasure in a delightful spot encircled by a terrace of flowers and climbing vines. Dine in our Della Robbia Room, designed with rare skill and carried out in the costliest, though not gaudy, marbles and tile. Attractive and rich—a place where you will enjoy the finest cuisine prepared by expert chefs. The cleverest entertainers.

The Queen of the Cabaret Miss Patricola with her orchestra of 25 pieces and many other stellar attractions, especially engaged for tonight's opening, will entertain you as you have never been entertained before. For the best amusement in Chicago, come to Green Mill Gardens tonight!

Take Broadway Car to Door or Northwestern "L" to Wilson Avenue, Walk 2 Blocks.

Oh, how fabulous it must have been! Our thanks go to D.S. for pointing us to the Web site.

Jumpin' at the Green Mill, The Mighty Blue Kings

I found this great jazz tune called Jumpin' at the Green Mill by The Mighty Blue Kings. It's available as an mp3.

Let's go on out and have a party tonight
Ride your wick *
Put on your fancy clothes
We'll go to that place that everybody knows
We'll be jumping, having ourselves a time!
We'll be jumpin' at the Green Mill...

*I think they're saying "Wick," I can't quite tell!

Tunnels of Uptown Video Tour with Fox News Chicago

Fox News Chicago visited the tunnels below Uptown Chicago in 2006. Dave Jemilo, owner of the Green Mill Jazz Club, and Brian Durack, building engineer of the Aragon Ballroom, are featured.

To play video, click on arrow in the center of the image.

Tunnels of Uptown Video Tour by Ric Addy

A series of tunnels can be found below the streets of the Uptown Entertainment District at Lawrence and Broadway. Ric Addy, owner of Shake Rattle and Read / The Book Box, takes the viewer on a tour of Uptown’s underside.

To play video, click on arrow in the center of the image.

Weird and Haunted Chicago: The Green Mill

I'm a sucker for Chicago walking and bus tours, but one group I haven't toured with yet is Weird and Haunted Chicago, which has an interesting story on the history of the Green Mill on their Web site.

I'm pretty busy this month, so I don't think I'll have time to hop on the bus and see some ghosts, but if any of you get the chance, I'd love to hear about it. A number of their tours are still available.

Green Mill Cocktail Plate

This looks like a later plate from what is now the Green Mill Jazz Club then the one previously posted, as they dropped the "gardens" from the logo. It's very small, just under four inches across, and was probably used for lemon slices for cocktails or something like that.