PORTAGE PARK— In 1988, a Polish nightclub on the Far Northwest Side made music history by booking a newly-formed band called the Smashing Pumpkins.
The gig at the Chicago 21 Club marked the Smashing Pumpkins’ first show. Almost 40 years later, the band has gone on to become one of the most acclaimed rock groups to come out of the city while the long-vacant Chicago 21 Club has fallen into disrepair.
Local Northwest Side historian Dan Pogorzelski hopes to preserve a piece of Chicago music history by saving the wooden doors of the Chicago 21 Club, which feature ornate carvings of apes, suns, stars and more. Pogorzelski said the doors were created by sculptor Julian Harr and that they need a bit of “TLC” but are in fairly good condition.
“So many amazing artists all began their careers here [in Chicago] but so much of it has been destroyed and lost over the years,” Pogorzelski said.
Located at 6020 W. Belmont Ave. along the border of Portage Park and Dunning, the Chicago 21 Club has been closed for well over a decade, Pogorzelski said.
Last weekend, Pogorzelski stopped by a Polish gift shop located next to the old nightclub and learned that the shop owner was on a month-to-month lease because the property had been sold and was slated for demolition. Nadig Newspapers reported that the building, which includes the old night club and multiple other storefronts, was sold to GMX Rega OC LLC in 2023. The city’s Zoning Board of Appeals approved plans to bring a Starbucks with a drive-through to the property in November 2024. Ald. Ruth Cruz (30th), however, said the Starbucks project is no longer moving forward.
There are currently no plans for the property, but Cruz is working to schedule a meeting with the building’s owner, she said. Cruz said she supports saving the Chicago 21 Club doors. No demolition permits for the building have been approved, city records show.
Pogorzelski took photos of the Chicago 21 Club doors and posted them on his Instagram story, asking his followers if they thought they should be preserved. Immediately, his inbox was filled with people wanting to help.
The post even reached Northern Indiana resident Geo Folkers, who is a longtime Smashing Pumpkins fan and memorabilia collector. Folkers knew about the Chicago 21 Club’s connection to the band and, about 10 years ago, he reached out to the owner and purchased the club’s old sign.
Folkers said the nightclub has faced multiple threats of demolition over the years.
“I realized there was a lot of history there that I thought was going to disappear,” he said.
Folkers contacted Pogorzelski as soon as he heard about the doors. He’s currently working to open a Smashing Pumpkins museum and said the doors could make a great addition.
Pogorzelski also said it would be cool if the Smashing Pumpkins got involved in preserving the doors. He noted that, in 2022, Smashing Pumpkins frontman and guitarist Billy Corgan was gifted the iconic neon “Chop Suey” sign from the Orange Garden restaurant in North Center.
The sign, which was a present from Corgan’s wife Chloé Mendel, currently hangs in the couple’s Highland Park cafe, Madam ZuZu’s Teashop.
In an email to Block Club, Corgan said he’d heard about the efforts to save the Chicago 21 Club doors and is “all for it.” When asked if he would be interested in preserving the doors himself, Corgan said it would depend on the circumstances.
Corgan added that he lived near the old Chicago 21 Club with his father from 1984-1989.
Pogorzelski said he would love to see the doors end up somewhere like the Chicago Cultural Center or the Chicago History Museum.
Folkers said it’s important to preserve “these historical music landmarks” before they disappear.
“The history of what the band did for Chicago and for the world as a whole I think is huge and it’s important people know about it,” he said.
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date: 2026-02-13 02:27:00
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