The Green Mill
Chicago’s Green Mill holds a distinction which gives it a special panache among Prohibition-era illegal bars. It was one of Al Capone’s favorite places to spend an evening. Capone operated breweries all over the city and smuggled imported liquor from Canada, as well as operating several distilleries where low-quality “bathtub gin” was produced. But his preferred beverage was Templeton Rye Whiskey, which the Green Mill kept on hand for its most notorious customer.
As Prohibition wore on Capone’s men tried to muscle in on the Green Mill, including attacking a famous comedian and entertainer of the day, Joe Lewis. Lewis refused to perform at the Green Mill and for his temerity, he had his throat cut by a Capone henchman, although he survived the attack.
By the mid-1920s Capone’s rivals throughout Chicago made his whereabouts of interest whenever he was away from his headquarters and thus vulnerable. Beneath the Green Mill a series of tunnels were built, exiting to various points in the neighborhood. The tunnels provided several uses for the bootleggers; illegal liquor and beer could be moved in unseen by nosy law enforcement personnel on the street while bootleggers and their enforcers and cronies could exit the premises without using the street doors.
This was particularly useful in the event of a raid, incoming officers would find the illegal liquor – which was replaceable – but nobody to charge with its possession. Capone preferred a table which was near one end of the bar, through which was a hidden door leading to the tunnels and eventually to the street, where a waiting car and driver would whisk him out of harm’s way. Before he was forced to flee in such a less than dignified fashion Capone was often able to enjoy the entertainment offered by performers such as Al Jolson and Billie Holliday.
After Prohibition, the Green Mill suffered lean times and although it remained open it was largely known as a dive before a resurgence began with new ownership in the 1980s.