FitzGerald's earns historic status and undergoes major improvements in time for American Music Fest 2025 and more
- chicagoblueseditor
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
By Robin Zimmerman
It seems serendipitous that FitzGerald’s history coincides with the birth of modern blues. Both go back to the 1910s when the roadhouse in Berwyn was built and WC Handy began releasing sheet music featuring songs like St. Louis Blues. It was a time when live music was all the rage and the property at 6615 W. Roosevelt was zoned as a dance hall.
This was just one of the findings that FitzGerald’s co-owner and marketing manager, Jessica King unearthed at the Berwyn Public Library. Her search began after she posted a picture of the Deer Lodge, which was one of FitzGerald’s iterations in the early sixties. This post unleashed a flood of comments, which led King to the library to dig deep into FitzGerald’s past.
The Deer Lodge revelation propelled King down a rabbit hole filled with facts and interesting insights on the building’s background. After its inception as a “dance hall” anywhere between 1911 and 1917, it transitioned over to an athletic club during Prohibition. Once liquor was legalized again, the athletic club was rebranded as Club Ritz, which attracted members of Al Capone’s gang, who were headquartered in neighboring Cicero. It served as Machine Gun Jack McGurn’s hangout, which led the mayor of Berwyn to temporarily shut it down.
King said that it took just a few days of digging through old newspapers and computer data bases to discover FitzGerald’s many identities. The difficult part was, “putting it together to tell a story. It sounds cheesy, but it happens to be true. There is just so much history!”
King’s sleuthing and discovery of “so much history” led to the determination that FitzGerald’s was worthy of a listing on the National Register of Historic Places. So, King along with her husband and FitzGerald’s co-owner, Will Duncan began the month-long process to put together the initial application and then waiting over two years to finally receive word that they were in.
As most everyone knows, the FitzGerald’s community is extremely tight-knit and very loyal. It’s been that way since Bill and Kate FitzGerald’s bought the place in 1980 and the devoted following has held strong, following Duncan and King’s purchase of the property in March of 2020 (just in time for the pandemic).
When the new owners were applying for the historic designation, they received over 90 letters from folks vouching for FitzGerald’s specialness. This helped tip the scales in FitzGerald’s favor as the Illinois Board of the National Register determined that it needed to be included due to its importance to the community.
This historic designation marked the first time that a music venue in Illinois has received this honor from the National Park Service (NPS) and FitzGerald’s recently announced that there will be a free Plaque Dedication event on Saturday. May 3rd. This “gift to the community” kicks off at 5:30 pm with remarks from King and the FitzGerald’s team. In keeping with the club’s diverse musical legacy, there will be a veritable smorgasbord of acts on tap including the Windy City Ramblers, the Ivan Singh Band, Brian Krumm and his Barfly Friends and the Chicago Skyway Big Band. RSVP for the free event at:https://www.ticketweb.com/event/fitzgeralds-historic-nightclub-plaque-dedication-fitzgeralds-nightclub-tickets/14362213?pl=fitz.
While FitzGerald’s has focused on honoring its illustrious past, they are also looking toward the long-term with a brand-new pavilion that is slated for completion by the end of April. This permanent structure will replace the festival tenting that has been utilized for the American Music Festival, weddings, fundraisers and other large-scale events.
King said that they didn’t need to get any approvals to build the pavilion because “the only thing that’s landmarked on our campus is the Night Club.” She added that, “We’re not doing anything to interfere with the Night Club or changing its appearance in any way. Anything else is free game.”
Duncan explained that the pavilion will be perfect for Chicago’s capricious summer weather patterns since it will keep patrons dry when the rains come and shield them from the sometimes-scorching sun. He said that when bands are forced to move inside, they are playing to much smaller crowds than the outdoor gig they planned for. He also said that those summer rains are a drain on business because the crowds often dissipate “based on a ten-minute rainstorm in the middle of an otherwise 80-degree day.”
Duncan said that the new permanent pavilion will resemble the structures found in the Forest Preserves. He elaborated by saying that there will be two sections to the new pavilion with the first covering the outdoor space between the nightclub and Side Bar that will run from the sidewalk to the patio bar. He added that the 30 by 82-foot structure will cover more space than the festival tenting. It will also have skylights to allow some natural light to filter through.
The second structure will be situated against the restaurant building, next to BabyGold barbecue, which will offer patrons a covered dining experience to better enjoy their Po Boys, burgers, broiled oysters and other popular menu items.
While these improvements will enhance the overall FitzGerald’s experience, it’s the camaraderie and the community’s love of live music that has made it such a popular institution for 45 years. This seems to be especially true for blues fans who have been flocking to FitzGerald’s on the first Tuesday of every month to experience WDCB’s “Bluesday Tuesday” hosted by Tom Marker.
The tenth anniversary of “Bluesday Tuesday” was celebrated on April 1, 2025 at FitzGerald’s with a triple bill extravaganza featuring blues veterans Dave Specter, Sheryl Youngblood and Jimmy Burns followed by an after show in the Side Bar with rising star, Stefan Hillesheim. Duncan said that this was “one of the busiest and most exuberant Bluesday Tuesdays ever.” He added that “we put a lot of energy and effort into keeping Bluesday Tuesday going” and “have a great relationship with WDCB.”
But FitzGerald’s commitment to the blues isn’t relegated to the first Tuesday of every month. They’ve hosted blues brunches and book both local favorites and nationally known blues artists throughout the year. On May 22nd, they will sponsor the first-ever blues river cruise, featuring the ever-popular Lil’ Ed and the Blues Imperials serenading the audience as they cruise the Chicago River. Duncan said, “it’s just like a wild event concept that helps honor and preserve Chicago blues history by tying in the Chicago River to that style of music.” For more news on this river cruise, visit: www.fitzgeralds.com.
FitzGerald's staff, friends and family/ photo: D. Anson Brody
Another “wild event” on the FitzGerald’s calendar will be the 42nd Annual American Music Festival. It’s scheduled from July 3rd through July 6th and features a mind-boggling array of talent from every genre. Lee Fields, JD McPherson, Samantha Fish and the Wallflowers are just a few of the artists who will be playing the festival.
King said that strategizing for the following year’s fest generally starts about a day after the current one wraps up. She added that while planning the event is never easy, they often have “headliners in our head” with Lee Fields “being one we’ve been talking about and trying to get for many years.” This comes with the realization that “sometimes it comes together and sometimes it doesn’t, but the plan is always in motion.”
Of course, playing at this prestigious annual festival is a coup for musicians who manage to land a coveted spot on the bill. Duncan said, “we get a lot of inquiries and determining what makes sense is part of the challenge” that comes with plotting out each year’s roster.
While they receive solicitations from various artists, Duncan said the “most of the actual booking is more pro-active on our part” and credits a strong relationship with the booking agents playing a major role in determining the festival lineup. He added that recommendations from these trusted partners who represent a large roster of artists, “is one of the ways that we fill out the bill because we get turned on to truly great artists who are sort of emerging talents that maybe few people have heard of in Chicagoland.”
Samantha Fish/photo: Jim Summaria
This great relationship with booking artists was instrumental in signing on Samantha Fish to play on July 5th at this year’s festival. Duncan said that “we’ve booked other shows with her team, and it was just the right timing” to reel in Fish. While it’s long been their goal to bring in big acts like Fish to “raise some excitement,” Duncan also believes that it’s important to “expose the crowd to bands they’ve never heard of that we think they’ll love.”
As Duncan, King and the trusty FitzGerald’s staff prepare to add more chapters to their ongoing history, a grateful community of music lovers are looking forward to a continued run of wonderful memories. Whether its inside the historic club or enjoying a summer night on the patio, FitzGerald’s Historic Nightclub has cemented its legacy as the “go to” destination for live entertainment.
About the Author: Blues enthusiast Robin Zimmerman, a.k.a. Rockin' Robin, writes a Blues Blog and is a regular contributor to Chicago Blues Guide
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