Gold Star

Wicker Park certainly is a gentrified part of town these days.  Lots of interesting restaurants and bars catering to the upscale folks who have moved into the area over the last two decades.  

So walking down Division Street, I was struck by the Gold Star Lounge, a hold out from the area's seedier days following Prohibition.  I don't know whether it is still possible to rent a room above the bar, but when it was possible long ago, the rentals were very short-term and not a lot of the occupants slept in them.  

One of the tavern's better known patrons was novelist Nelson Algren, who authored The Man with the Golden Arm.  When Frankie Machine (Frank Sinatra) was released from prison, did his return to Chicago bring him to the Gold Star Lounge?  Who knows.

The Chicago Tribune is currently running a series entitled Diving into Chicago's Bar Culture--31 Days of Dives, Taprooms, Wine Bars, and More.  It will be interesting to see whether the Gold Star Lounge makes the cut.

Photographer's Notes:  This photograph was made using the Sony 7Ariii, with a Leica 90mm Summicron lens.