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Chez Paree

{{Short description|Nightclub in Chicago, Illinois, US}}

{{Infobox venue

| name = Chez Paree

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| address = 610 N. Fairbanks Court

| location = Chicago, Illinois

| coordinates = {{coord|41.8932|-87.6204|type:landmark_region:US-IL|display=it}}

| type = Nightclub

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| opened = {{Start date|1932|df=y}}

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| closed = 1960

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| architect = Marshall and Fox

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The Chez Paree was a Chicago nightclub known for its glamorous atmosphere, elaborate dance numbers, and top entertainers. It operated from 1932 until 1960 in the Streeterville neighborhood of Chicago at 610 N. Fairbanks Court. The club was the epitome of the golden age of entertainment, and it hosted a wide variety of performers, from singers to comedians to vaudeville acts.[https://books.google.com/books?id=dB8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA17 Billboard November 8, 1952-20th Anniversary of the Chez Paree pages-17-28] A "new" Chez Paree opened briefly in the mid-1960s on 400 N. Wabash Avenue and was seen in the film Mickey One with Warren Beatty.

History

The Chez Paree was initially opened in 1932 by Mike Fritzel and Joe Jacobson. After reported financial problems operating the club, it was sold to a group of partners in 1949; Jack Schatz,[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104004515/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4326557.html Transcript of Obituary Chicago Sun-Times January 24, 1996] Don Jo Medlevine, Al Kaiser (not the MLB player), and Dave Halper.

Chez Paree was housed on the third floor of a loft building designed in 1917 by the architects Marshall and Fox. Marshall and Fox are best known for the Drake Hotel and Blackstone Hotel. During the Chez Paree's early years, the building's second floor featured the School of Design, which was started by László Moholy-Nagy, the former director of the New Bauhaus School in Chicago.{{Cite web |url=http://www.chicagobauhausbeyond.org/cbb/mission/newBauhaus.htm |title=New Bauhaus School |access-date=2014-11-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141017154624/http://www.chicagobauhausbeyond.org/cbb/mission/newBauhaus.htm |archive-date=2014-10-17 |url-status=dead }}

From 1951 until the Venue's closing it was the remote location for WMAQ (AM)s The Jack Eigen Show. {{cite web | url=http://richsamuels.com/nbcmm/jackeigen/index.html | title=Jack Eigen }}

Current use

The address is now home to Chez,[http://www.chez-chicago.com Chez Chicago] a contemporary event space named in homage to the Chez Paree, and the Internet-based apartment listing service Domu.[http://www.domu.com Domu]

Notable performers

Artists who performed at Chez Paree included:

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In popular culture

References

External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20100328155455/http://parsec-santa.com/chezparee/1Chezframe.html The Chez Paree]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20110713130140/http://www.justonebadcentury.com/chicago_cubs_history_13.asp Chicago Cubs through history-Chez Paree]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20110716013554/http://www.schatzbuilding.com/history.htm Schatz Building History-Chez Paree]

Category:1932 establishments in Illinois

Category:1960 disestablishments in Illinois

Category:Entertainment companies established in 1932

Category:Entertainment companies disestablished in 1960

Category:Defunct nightclubs in the United States

Category:Defunct companies based in Chicago

Category:Former buildings and structures in Chicago

Category:Nightclubs in Chicago