The Red Lion Pub

The Red Lion Pub building was originally built in 1882, on the Northern outskirts of Chicago, surrounded by farms and countryside. The city grew up around the building, and the neighborhood became a traditionally rough part of town. John Dillinger saw his last movie in the Biograh Theater, located across the street from The Red Lion, before he was gunned down by the G- men, right outside the theater. Al Capone and his thugs hung out in this neighborhood during Prohibition. In the 1940's, Red Lion Inn building was a "Wild West-type" saloon, that respectable people stayed out of. It was described as a real dump, and the second floor housed a flourishing bookie joint, actively involved in the illegal gambling industry. The third floor was always used as apartments, until recently when they became an over flow storage area. Throughout the years, various businesses came and went, such as a produce store, a laundry facility, and a nick - knack / novelty shop. The building was rescued from disrepair by a well-known Chicago architect, John Cordwell, an Englishman who thought it might be fun to renovate it into an old English Pub, as a hobby. John, his wife, and his two sons ran the place now as a side business.

John Cordwell as since passed on, but his sons and wife still run the pub as a side business