Cook County Jail was built in the 1920s and now houses over&nbsp;9,000 men and women.&nbsp;The jail has held&nbsp;infamous criminals such as&nbsp;Al Capone, Larry Hoover, Tony Accardo, Frank Nitti, Jeff Fort, Richard Speck, and John Wanye Gacy and the Chicago Seven. The jail is one of three sites in the state where prisoners have faced&nbsp;execution by the electric chair in the state of Illinois.

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The correctional facility was built in the 1920s and has become the largest county jail in the United States. Over 100,000 detainees are admitted to the jail pending their trials each year. The facility covers more than eight city blocks and contains ten divisions, a health facility, two education departments, a commissary agency, and four onsite Sheriffs departments.

Cook County Jail

Take a step back in time and view Chicago from the eyes of the city's famous Mob bosses such as Al Capone, Dean O'Banion, and John Dillinger. Beginning with two of Chicago's former speakeasies, Simon's Tavern and the Green Door Tavern, the tour continues to such sites as the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, and the Cook County Jail. The tour ends at the final resting place for many of these organized crime bosses, St. Carmel Catholic Cemetery.

Chicago Mob History Driving Tour

<p>Found inside Chicago’s historically Swedish neighborhood of Andersonville is the indispensable establishment of Simon’s Tavern. The tavern was named after the bar’s founder Simon Lundberg, a Swedish immigrant. After WWI, Lundberg operated a grocery store; but once Prohibition took effect, he began secretly selling whiskey with his coffee, likely acquiring his alcohol from Al Capone. Lundberg became so successful selling bootlegged whiskey that he afforded to purchase a new location on Clark Street to open a second location, which is the current location of Simon’s Tavern. As a means to better conceal the illegal alcohol flowing freely through his business, a proper speakeasy was established in the basement with a direct entrance through the back alley. This speakeasy became known as the No Name Club, N.N. Club for short. The N.N. Club served the neighborhood’s resident Swedes, offering them a brief escape from America and speaking English.</p><p>When Prohibition ended in 1934, Simon Lundberg smartly converted his second grocery store on Clark Street into a bar aptly named Simon’s Tavern. Simon operated his tavern until his death, at which time his son Roy assumed management. In 1994, Roy passed the Tavern onto Scott Martin who remains the current owner. Famous for its glogg, which is a top-secret mulled wine recipe, Simon’s Tavern has remained a cornerstone of Andersonville for over 80 years.</p>

Found inside Chicago’s historically Swedish neighborhood of Andersonville is the indispensable establishment of Simon’s Tavern. The tavern was named after the bar’s founder Simon Lundberg, a Swedish immigrant. After WWI, Lundberg operated a grocery store; but once Prohibition took effect, he secretly began selling whiskey with his coffee, likely acquiring the alcohol from Al Capone. Lundberg became so successful selling bootlegged whiskey that he afforded to purchase a new location for a second storefront which concealed the No Name Club speakeasy, which is the current location of Simon’s Tavern. After the end of Prohibition, Simon converted his storefront on Clark Street into a bar which continues to be a cornerstone establishment in the Andersonville neighborhood.

Simon's Tavern

<p>During the first decade of the 1900s, the major attraction in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago was the Graceland and Saint Boniface cemeteries. Understanding the opportunity for a business venture, a man named Pop Morse established a bar and beer garden across the street from the burial grounds. During the next three years, Pop Morse’s Roadhouse became a cornerstone of the neighborhood. Then in 1910, a real estate developer by the name of Tom Chamales purchased the establishment and renamed it the Green Mill Gardens, taking inspiration from the Parisian Moulin Rouge (Red Mill) but choosing green as a means to disassociate the bar from a local red-light district. Chamales expanded the Green Mill to encompass an entire city block and added a sunken garden and orchestra pit. The bar became something of an elite hotspot during the 1910s, with such celebrities as Charlie Chaplin becoming frequent guests. For the next decade, the Green Mill set the social precedent for the Uptown neighborhood.</p><p>Chicago during the 1920s was a pulsating city mostly due in part to the global economic stimulus, the loosening of social morals, jazz, prohibition, and organized crime. Many changes came to the Green Mill during this decade. In 1923, Balaban &amp; Katz approached Chamales with an offer to purchase a section of the block on which the Green Mill sat for the purpose of erecting the Uptown Theatre. After that, the size of the Green Mill shrunk considerably. However, the most apparent change to the Green Mill came with the implementation of the Prohibition Act in 1920 which prohibited the sale of alcohol. Many drinking establishments, including the Green Mill, survived Prohibition by becoming jazz clubs and providing finger foods and bootlegged liquor. The Green Mill quickly became a famous mob hideout for Al Capone and his men, who used the underground tunnels to supply the venue with illegal liquors. One of Capone’s men, Jack “Machine Gun” McGurn, the likely organizer of the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, even supposedly owned a portion of the Green Mill and essentially directed the activities of the establishment. While federal agents frequently raided the Green Mill under suspicion of selling illegal liquors, no charges were ever brought forth.&nbsp;</p><p>The Green Mill Garden hosted many of the famous jazz entertainers during the 1920s, such as Billie Holiday, Al Jolson, and Joseph Lewis. The mob’s influence can be understood through the assault that occurred to Joseph Lewis in 1927. Lewis was Capone’s favorite entertainer and it became known that Lewis was considering leaving the Mill for a new gig with a rival club. Lewis was shortly found in his dressing room with a slit throat and a stab to his abdomen. Surviving his assault, Lewis eventually returned to the Green Mill. It was speculated then that McGurn was behind the attack, though it was never officially determined. The Lewis attack later inspired the movie&nbsp;<i>The Joker is Wild</i>starring Frank Sinatra.</p><p>The Green Mill reached its peak during Prohibition and sustained itself during the Great Depression; but after World War II, the club slowly fell into decline. After years of neglect and becoming an establishment of ill repute, Dave Jemilo purchased the property in 1986. Jemilo, a Chicago Southsider, began a meticulous renovation of the club and breathed new life into the old speakeasy. Today, the Green Mill is once again once of the premiere jazz clubs in America.</p>

Chicago’s Green Mill Jazz Club, also known as the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge, is a historic music and entertainment venue in the city’s Uptown neighborhood. Dating back to 1907, the establishment was first named Pop Morse’s Roadhouse where it served patrons of the nearby Graceland and Saint Boniface cemeteries. Three years later, real estate developer Tom Chamales purchased the business and renamed it the Green Mill Gardens after Paris’ Moulin Rouge, subtly avoiding the implications of a red-light district by using the color green. The Green Mill continued to be a socially prominent Chicago dance hall and bar up until the Prohibition Act, during which time the dancing entertainment shifted to the popular Jazz movement that swept the country. During the era of Prohibition, the Green Mill famously served as a speakeasy as Al Capone ran illegal spirits through the Green Mill via underground tunnels before his arrest. During the rest of the 20th Century, the Green Mill’s condition slowly deteriorated from its once upscale past. Dave Jemilo purchased the venue in 1986 and brought it back to life. Today, the Green Mill once again hosts jazz concerts and weekly slam poetry events.

Green Mill Cocktail Lounge (Green Mill Gardens)

<span><p>The Biograph Theater is best-known as the place where John Dillinger met his demise when federal agents shot him. Part of Dillinger's reason for being at the Chicago theater was its state-of-the-art cooling system. It remains an architecturally significant site and a&nbsp;reminder&nbsp;of&nbsp;an era&nbsp;when lavish theaters were built with regularity.</p><p>The theater opened in 1914, and typical of that era, enjoyed a lavish design including red pressed brick, terra cotta details, and electric lights and bright signs. Built at a time when the movie industry was transitioning from nickelodeons to lengthy films, the Biograph joined many upscale movie palaces built during the era, notably in the 1920s when the economy boomed. The Biograph Theater was designed to provide legitimacy to the yet-to-be successful film industry, but certainly one with potential.1</p><p>Gangster John Dillinger liked movies, too, and his visit to the Biograph Theater gave the movie palace fame. Dillinger, once regarded as “Public Enemy Number 1,” grew to immense fame in the late 1920s and early 1930s after robbing numerous banks, successfully escaping from two jails, eluding police, and shooting one police offers. &nbsp;The Justice Department had spent enormous time and effort (and money) to catch him, but he largely lived a normal life, seemingly going unnoticed. He regularly attended Cubs games, dined in restaurants, and as would be the case in 1934 -- go to the theater. A friend of his, who knew of his real identity, tipped off authorities that he would attend the Biograph Theater on on July 22, 1934 after attending a screening of “Manhattan Melodrama” starring Clark Gable. When he left the theater, police confronted him - he ran and was subsequently shot and killed.2</p><p>One of Dillinger’s main reasons for going to the theater that day involved intense summer heat; 23 people died that day due to the heat. The Biograph Theater boasted (like many places of that era) of having Air Conditioning. The death of Dillinger is one of many heat-related histories attached to Chicago. For instance</p><ul><li><p><i>1919: From July 27 to August 3, thirty-eight people died (23 Black and 15 white) and more than 500 were injured when a white man threw rocks at a Black youth who had accidentally swam onto the “white &nbsp;side” of Chicago's’ beach during a heat wave. That event, and the police handling of it - racially motivated justice -- inspired the riot, which ended only after the government deployed almost 6,000 National Guardsmen.3</i></p></li></ul><ul><li><p><i>1995: &nbsp;On July 12, 1995, a dangerous hot-air mass settled over Chicago, producing three consecutive days of temperatures over 99 degrees Fahrenheit, heat indices (which measure the heat experienced by a typical person) around 120. Although 485 city residents died due to the heat, it proved to be a social disaster as much as a natural one. Most who died lived alone, were impoverished or elderly; more than 70 percent of the victims were older than 65 and above and African American mortality rates were roughly 1.5 times higher than those for whites, notably in the city's’ poorest regions.4</i></p></li></ul>Theaters, for the poor, still exist as "cooling centers," for those without access to private in-home air conditioning, but much like the theater industry, much has changed since the days of Dillinger. Today's Biograph theater is owned by Victory Gardens, Inc, and plays home to many plays and live productions.&nbsp;<br><br>In the end, one building provides a window into many aspects of American and Chicago history: The rise of leisure time spent on such items as films, the effect of heat on society, a history of gangsters, and the individual histories of the characters involved.</span>

This historic theater opened in 1914. It is best-known as the theater that John Dillinger attended before being shot by Federal Agents. The building serves as reminder of the popularity of films and the rapid growth of theaters throughout the United States in the 1910s and 1920s.  

Biograph Theater (Victory Gardens Theater)

<div>Later, during the Depression, John Dillinger is said to have been a frequent costumer. John Dillinger was an American bank robber during the Great Depression. His gang and himself robbed two dozen banks and four police stations. He was also charged with, but never convicted of, the murder of an East Chicago, Indiana police officer. In the early 1930s Dillinger’s crimes stood-out from those of Baby Face Nelson, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Bonnie and Clyde.</div><div><br></div><div>Dillinger was on the run for almost a year before becoming wounded, and returning to his father's home to recover. He returned to Chicago in July 1934, and on July 22, the police caught up with him at Biograph Theater. Dillinger began to flea leaving the theater; he pulled a weapon, but was shot three times and killed in the alley next to the Biograph Theater, just a few blocks north. This speakeasy was a common stop for the notorious John Dillinger, where he would often buy a round on the house with his stolen money. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Not much is known of the bar's history following Dillinger's day, but it was purchased in 1965 by a Dutch man who had a passion for handmade model ships and antiques. These ships can still be viewed today in the main room, some of which date back to the 1800s.</div>

This establishment in Lincoln Park is now a bar and grill, but at one time it operated as a speakeasy. The building is now occupied by John Barleycorn's and has stood in Lincoln Park since 1890. It began as a pub opened by an Irish immigrant moonlighting as a Chicago police officer. During Prohibition, the pub was boarded up on the exterior to appear vacant to the authorities. However there was a full-blown speakeasy operating on the inside. What is now the back room at John Barleycorn's was used to front a Chinese laundry, where bootleggers would roll in laundry carts loaded with booze under stacks of dirty clothes. The liquor was then transported to the basement where it was stored, and drinks were served by bringing bottles up in a small elevator. Costumers entered through the back laundry entrance, since the front of the building was boarded up.


John Barleycorn Speakeasy 

By 1929, Capone's only real competition was the gang led by&nbsp;George "Bugs" Moran.&nbsp;Al Capone decided once and for all to wipe out the competition in the north and take over all the illegal gambling, prostitution and bootlegging in Chicago.&nbsp;&nbsp;He employed lookouts in boarding houses across the street at 2119 N. Clark and a secured better vantage point from 2139&nbsp;N. Clark.<span>&nbsp;<br></span><span><br>&nbsp;On February 14, 1929,&nbsp;a</span>t about 10:30 a.m., four men burst into the SMC Cartage Co.&nbsp;garage (2122 N. Clark)&nbsp;that Moran used as a headquarters for his various criminal enterprises. Two of Capone's men were dressed as police officers. The quartet presumably announced a raid and ordered the seven men inside the garage to line up against a wall. Then they opened fire.&nbsp;<span>Capone men fired more than 70 bullets into the victims. Six of the seven killed were members of Moran's gang; the seventh was an unlucky friend of one of the gang members who was simply in the wrong place at the worst possible time.&nbsp;<br></span><span><br>When police officers from Chicago’s 36th District arrived, they found one gang member, Frank Gusenberg, barely alive. In the few minutes before he died, they pressed him to reveal what had happened, but Gusenberg&nbsp;wouldn't&nbsp;talk. As a result, many of the details of the massacre are still unknown.<br><br></span>The building passed through a number of owners over the next two decades, with&nbsp;locals and tourists often disturbing the business to witness the&nbsp;bullet-pocked wall. In 1949, the building owner placed plaster over the bricks in hopes of discouraging the public from interrupting business in his warehouse. In the 1960s, the neighborhood was slated for an urban housing project and the warehouse and neighboring structures were demolished. Some of the bullet-ridden bricks were preserved, sold at auction to collectors. Some of these original bricks are on display at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas, while others remain in private collections around the country.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<br>

The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre is the name given to the 1929 murder of seven mob associates of the North Side Irish gang led by Bugs Moran during the Prohibition Era. The massacre was the culmination of a power struggle as Al Capone took control of organized crime in Chicago. It remains the most infamous of all gangland slayings in America, and demonstrates both the cunning and savagery of Al Capone. By dressing his men as police officers, Capone was able to make his attack look like a normal police raid on bootleggers. Making it look as though they were only going to arrest the members of the rival gang (or seek a bribe) Capone's "police" officers opened fire after ordering the men to line up against the wall. After the massacre, the mob led by Al Capone and his successors controlled organized crime in Chicago

St. Valentine's Day Massacre Site

<div>Holy Name Cathedral (built in 1874-75), has functioned as the seat of the Archdiocese of Chicago, one of the nation's largest Roman Catholic dioceses, since its opening. Its imposing Gothic Revival features and lavish decor speaks to its significance within the local Roman Catholic community, as well as the influence of the church, itself.&nbsp;Moreover, its presence also speaks to the influence of&nbsp;Poles, Germans, Irish, and other immigrants from Catholic-majority nations&nbsp;who came to Chicago during the 19th century. They not only fostered substantial population growth but also brought with it a robust Catholic culture that eventually supplanted Protestants as the city's majority regarding faith.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Political and economic turmoil present in Europe during the nineteenth-century, as well as the Great Irish Famine, resulted in large numbers of Irish, German, Polish and other predominantly Catholic immigrants coming to Chicago. Arriving in droves, they settled into new neighborhoods and quickly created ethnic enclaves within the city; the houses of worship often served as the community's most prominent feature. In fact, from 1844 to 1879, Irish and German immigrants established 31 territorial parishes, 22 of them created by Irish immigrants while another nine emerged in German areas.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Immigrants routinely took pride in the churches; they existed as community-wide statements of religious identity. As such, new immigrants of Catholic faith often built large churches as a means of differentiating themselves from what was then Chicago's Protestant majority during the late-nineteenth-century. <br><br>As well, churches served as community centers. Churches, notably through the work of its nuns, provided new-coming immigrants assistance as they attempted to adjust to America (and Chicago). Immigrants relied on the church for finding jobs, day care services, English classes, financial assistance, nursing, and a host of other "social services."&nbsp; Moreover, churches often operated or managed schools and hospitals.&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Holy Name Cathedral, which today can seat 1,100 people, was designed by architect Patrick Keely, one of more than six hundred churches and sixteen cathedrals he developed. Holy Name exhibits classic, Gothic Revival features including towering verticality with steeply pitched roofs, lancet windows, pointed arches, bell tower and 210-foot-high spire.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>Overall, the cathedral features motifs intended to represent an idea of physically dwelling within the biblical tree of life.</div><div><br></div><div>Some notable features include:&nbsp;</div><div><br></div><ul><li>Colossal bronze doors that weigh 1,200 pounds each and feature a "Tree of Life" theme.</li><li>A bishop's throne, or cathedra.&nbsp;</li><li>An ornate altar adorned with artwork and tabletop comprised of nearly 12,000 pounds (six tons) of reddish-Black granite.</li><li>Large, suspended resurrection crucifix along with bronze and marble "Stations of the Cross" display adorning the walls.&nbsp;</li><li>Two pipe organs, one noticeably large and the other a smaller version.&nbsp;</li><li>Numerous bronze statues of Biblical figures, as well as bronze panels depicting the Holy Names of Jesus.&nbsp;</li></ul><div>In 1979, Pope John Paul II visited Chicago and held a prayer service for Bishops at Holy Name Cathedral. As well,&nbsp; Luciano Pavarotti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra played a concert in the cathedral in the Pope's honor.<br><br></div><div>Though Roman Catholicism is renowned globally for its massive cathedrals displaying opulent decor, its presence in Chicago and other (mostly Eastern and Midwestern U.S.) urban centers during the 19th century speak to the significance of immigration during the era. The need to establish a church, a large and imposing one, allowed for small "nations" to exist within the broader urban environment. As more Catholic immigrants arrived in Chicago, the Roman Catholic power grew - eventually allowing for Holy Name Cathedral to emerge as a home to a Bishop and serve as the seat of the Archdiocese of Chicago</div>

Built in 1875, four years after the Great Chicago Fire, Holy Name Cathedral sits on Chicago's famous State Street amidst Chicago's towering skyscrapers. Holy Name operates as the seat for the Chicago Archdioceses, one of the largest and most influential Roman Catholic archdioceses in the United States. It also serves as a reminder of the influence of the church in Chicago and its neighborhoods, which increasingly grew Catholic as Germans, Irish, Polish and other immigrants from predominantly Catholic nations arrived in Chicago. 

Holy Name Cathedral 

<p>One of Chicago’s oldest bars, the Green Door Tavern has witnessed much of the city’s history. After the Great Fire of 1871, James McCole constructed a two-story wooden frame building at the corner of Orleans and Huron Streets. Shortly after the building’s completion, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance prohibited wooden framed structures so close to the Loop making the Green Door Tavern one of the oldest wooden buildings constructed after the fire. The leaning of the building, known as racking, occurred shortly after its construction.&nbsp;</p><p>Between 1871 and 1921, Lawrence P. Ek rented the building from McCole and operated a grocery store on the first floor. Then in 1921, Vito Giacomo took over the building and opened a restaurant called the Heron-Orleans. In the basement of the restaurant, Vito’s sons Jack and Nello ran one of the first speakeasies in the downtown which was mostly frequented by Chicago’s gangsters. Chicago’s Dean O’Banion, leader of the North Side Gang and rivals to Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit gang, provided the speakeasy’s illegal alcohol during the 1920s.</p><p>During Prohibition, many speakeasies in Chicago featured a green door. Heron-Orleans’ green door was located on the building’s south side. The restaurant became known as the Green Door by the 1930s, and adopted the nickname as the establishment’s official title. As with most of Chicago’s former speakeasies and neighborhoods, the condition and reputation of the establishment fell considerably by the 1970s. In August 1985, George Parenti purchased the Green Door Tavern with the intent on renovating the building and returning it to its former glory. Since Parenti purchased the Green Door, the establishment has seen its return to popularity. While the Green Door Tavern operates out of the building’s main floor, in the basement is found The Drifter, an authentic 20s era speakeasy with specialty drinks and entertainment.</p>

One of Chicago’s oldest bars, the Green Door Tavern has witnessed much of the city’s history. After the Great Fire of 1871, James McCole constructed a two-story wooden frame building at the corner of Orleans and Huron Streets. Shortly after the building’s completion, the Chicago City Council passed an ordinance prohibited wooden framed structures so close to the Loop making the Green Door Tavern one of the oldest wooden buildings constructed after the fire. In 1921, Vito Giacomo took over the building and opened a restaurant called the Heron-Orleans. In the basement of the restaurant, Vito’s sons Jack and Nello ran one of the first speakeasies in the downtown which was mostly frequented by Chicago’s gangsters. Chicago’s Dean O’Banion, leader of the North Side Gang and rivals to Al Capone’s Chicago Outfit gang, provided the speakeasy’s illegal alcohol during the 1920s. During Prohibition, many speakeasies in Chicago featured a green door. Heron-Orleans’ green door was located on the building’s south side. As with most of Chicago’s former speakeasies and neighborhoods, the condition and reputation of the establishment fell considerably by the 1970s. In August 1985, George Parenti purchased the Green Door Tavern with the intent on renovating the building and returning it to its former glory. Since Parenti purchased the Green Door, the establishment has seen its return to popularity.

Green Door Tavern

<p>In the decade following the Great Fire of 1871, Chicago witnessed waves of new immigrants, most of who were Southern and Eastern European Catholics. Between 1885-1903, seven major catholic cemeteries were established within the Archdiocese of Chicago: Mt. Olivet, St. Mary, Holy Cross, Mt. Carmel, St. Casimir, Resurrection, and St. Joseph. Located in the Chicago suburb of Hillside, Mt. Carmel was consecrated in 1901 and quickly became associated with the city’s growing Italian population. Because its Italian connections, Mt. Carmel became the final resting place for many of Chicago’s famous gang members including Al Capone, his two brothers Frank and Ralph, the Genna Brothers, Dean O’Banion, “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn, Charles Nicoletti, and many others. Other famous burials include Jack Powell, Ken Silvestri, Julia Buccola Petta – known as the “Italian Bride,” and several members of the clergy.&nbsp;</p><p>Because of the immense Italian influence, the cemetery is a time capsule of early Italian-American religious beliefs and burial practices. Mt. Carmel today possesses over 200,000 burials, spans over 200 acres, and welcomes visitors during its hours of operation.</p>

In the decade following the Great Fire of 1871, Chicago witnessed waves of new immigrants, most of which were Southern and Eastern European Catholics. Between 1885-1903, seven major catholic cemeteries were established within the Archdiocese of Chicago: Mt. Olivet, St. Mary, Holy Cross, Mt. Carmel, St. Casimir, Resurrection, and St. Joseph. Located in the Chicago suburb of Hillside, Mt. Carmel was consecrated in 1901 and quickly became associated with the city’s growing Italian population. Because its Italian connections, Mt. Carmel became the final resting place for many of Chicago’s famous gang members including Al Capone, his two brothers Frank and Ralph, the Genna Brothers, Dean O’Banion, “Machine Gun” Jack McGurn, Charles Nicoletti, and many others. Other famous burials include Jack Powell, Ken Silvestri, Julia Buccola Petta – known as the “Italian Bride,” and several members of the clergy.

Chicago Mob History Driving Tour

Cook County Jail

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Backstory and Context

Additional Information