Slot Machines for Bars in Northalsted, Chicago

History

Gay and lesbian bars began opening on Halsted Street in the 1970s, and police raids forced many of them to close their street-facing windows. Business owners later organized the Northalsted Merchants Association, now the Northalsted Business Alliance, and new residents bought property and stayed in the blocks around the shops and bars. In May 1997 Mayor Richard M. Daley told the merchants about a $3.2 million streetscape for Halsted, a gesture of recognition to the gay and lesbian community. A scale model went on view that August at the annual Northalsted Market Days festival. The first design, with large gateways and nearly 200 pylons, brought more than 7,000 letters and petition signatures, for and against. By November 1997 the City had replaced the large gateways with smaller community identifiers and settled on pairs of lighted pylons with painted rainbow rings, and the street was dedicated in November 1998. The City Council designated the pylons and the Legacy Walk a landmark in 2019. In September 2020 the Alliance stopped using "Boystown" in its marketing and began using the street's name.

The area today

Northalsted is the LGBTQ+ business district on North Halsted Street, and the Northalsted Business Alliance serves as its chamber of commerce. The rainbow pylons carry the Legacy Walk, 40 bronze plaques dedicated between 2012 and 2018, and the Center on Halsted opened in 2007. The Alliance calls the neighborhood famous for the annual Chicago Pride Parade. Chicago Pride Fest takes place on Halsted each June, and a Haunted Halsted parade marks Halloween.

Bars and restaurants here

Sidetrack, at 3349 N. Halsted, is a multi-level bar with a rooftop and a ground-floor patio. Savanna, at 3334 N. Halsted, serves brunch and Mexican breakfast on a sidewalk patio, while Lark, at 3441 N. Halsted, hosts bingo nights and drag brunches. Kit Kat Club, a drag and cabaret lounge, moved to 3524 N. Halsted in 2025, into an Art Deco room. El Bar, at 3209 N. Halsted, opened in March 2026 with Latin music every night.