Imagine the year is 1901. Here we stand before the Former Schlitz Tavern. This building is one of Chicago’s best remaining examples of a brewery tied-house.
From the 1890s to Prohibition brewing companies operated taverns throughout Chicago. These were known as tied-houses. The Milwaukee-based Schlitz Brewery built this one.
Schlitz Brewery became one of the largest breweries in the nation. Edward Uihlein managed its Chicago market. He built at least 57 other tied-houses in the city.
Fritz Lang designed this particular Schlitz Brewery-Tied House. Its cheerful German Renaissance style was intended to attract customers. It also projected a positive image. This was in response to rising opposition to alcohol.
The Former Schlitz Tavern boasts a stepped and scrolled gable. Semi-circular lunettes adorn the facade. Look closely at the strapwork and heraldic ornaments. These elements exemplify the German Renaissance Revival style.
Like other tied-houses this building has the brewer’s insignia. See the belted globe of the Schlitz brewery on the facade?
Brewing in Chicago started in 1833. William Haas and Andrew Sulzer from New York established the city’s first brewery. Chicago’s location was ideal. It was close to resources and a central market. Grain harvested in the Midwest provided brewers with barley. Barley is a key beer ingredient.
Brewery salesmen used aggressive sales strategies to secure orders. They undercut wholesale prices. They provided saloon owners with branded items. These items included signage lighting glassware and furniture.
Brewers established management systems for their tied taverns. They rented commercial property. They designed developed and built their own taverns.
Intense competition and legal restrictions pressured breweries in Chicago. They were compelled to adopt the tied-house system. The tied-house concept came from the United Kingdom. Commercial breweries consolidated retail outlets. They purchased or controlled pubs. A tied-house meant brewery ownership of a tavern.
The tied-house arrived in Chicago in 1892. The Chicago Brewing & Malting Company and the Milwaukee & Chicago Breweries Ltd began buying saloons. They acquired land to build taverns. The tied-house design was simple. It featured a store on the first floor and a flat above.
Many brewing companies used this model. These included Pabst Miller and Blats. Smaller brewers like Atlas Birk Brothers and Gottfried also participated. Schlitz Brewing Company was the most successful and publicly prominent.
After national Prohibition in 1919 the tied-house system ended. This Former Schlitz Tavern had many iterations. Its names included the Dumbell Tavern Joy Tavern and the Gay Tavern. It was also known as Club Selo The Sun Dodgers Club and Mike’s Club. Later it became Club Jo Jo and JB’s Bamboo Lounge or simply the Bamboo Lounge. The property was purchased in 2019 with plans to reopen it.