The bar was torn down in 1990 to make way for the citys new main library. Great stepper sets on Saturdays and Great house music on Wednesdays. (There's aFacebook page for this too.). Whiskey connoisseur? This was the beginning of house music, which got its name from the Warehouse, a members-only gay club for Black men helmed by legendary DJ Frankie Knuckles. "We were all young once and learning about life. chicago nightclubs 1980s Memories of Rush Street bar scene: Chicago's 'street of dreams' With a solid lineup of resident DJs, seven bars spread throughout the space and a powerful sound system, the various dance floors at this club always seems to boast a spectacular scene. A quieter, more typically suburban era was soon to arrive. Thanks for subscribing! Katerina'sWhat it was: For 15 years, Katerina's was a Chicago jazz-scene institution, serving as a stepping stone for performers who weren't quite ready for larger rooms like the Green Mill or Jazz Showcase. Charles Perkins DJed there in the early 70s, playing music so loud he regularly blew out tweeters. Like at Totos, which offered a yellow-and-white striped awning meant to evoke a carnival atmosphere once inside with freak show posters touting Marie the Living Mermaid, Knife Thrower Ricardo and the Daring Camille! In 1980, a Punk Out party starred performers with names such as Mysterious Marilynn, Mary Ann Mouthful, Diana Hutton and Cotton Candy. Funky town: Chicago nightclubs in the 1970s - in pictures Perv's House, 1976 Photograph: Michael Abramson, Courtesy of MMX Gallery Before a career photographing the likes of Oprah and Steve Jobs. One of Knuckles signatures was playing a recording of an express train, moving the sound through the clubs Richard Long soundsystem. In the summer, patrons looked out over Broadway Avenue from a rooftop bar and sun deck. 1. "The rest will be mostly about other people," he says. Chicago, Illinois. Later DJs included Mark Vallese and Larry Fox. But there are nightclubs throughout the city as well, many of which host weekly themed partiesand host talented DJs and electronic acts year-round. There was Club La Rue 32 and the Trade Winds, he remembers. Once the mainstream turned its back on the culture, disco went back to its roots, and a new style began to emerge in Chicagos nightclubs. 1975 ads in Gay Life touted, Quad sound disco-dancing noon until 4 AM, seven days a week. The Artful DodgerWhat it was: Divey and dodgey in all the best ways, this Bucktown corner bar in a residential area featured a small dance floor in the back where ill-advised moves were busted to 80s favorites. For 99 ($135) you can stay there until dawn, when the . London House, named for the Neo-Classical 1920s building whose ground floor it occupied, was one of a pair of famous nightclubs run by the Marienthal brothers. Chicago, IL 810friends 544reviews Really really miss the old clubs. An infamous 1985 police raid in which all of the clubs patrons were photographed resulted in a successful class-action lawsuit by the ACLU. Memories will be flowing as freely as beer at a frat party when a few hundred people gather from 2 to 7 p.m. Sunday at Connie's Pizza, 1030 N. State St., for "Rush Street Reunion 2015.". Carefully coordinated outfits mingle with jocks in polo shirts and dudes in pony tails and Italian suits. (Come check out our playing field and get into the action, read the drink ticket promotions distributed around town.).