13 hours ago
The Violet Hour closing permanently in Wicker Park after 18 years
The Violet Hour, a James Beard Award-winning cocktail bar in Chicago's Wicker Park, is closing permanently after 18 years.
In a joint post with One Off Hospitality on their Instagram page, owners Toby Maloney, Jason Cott, Donnie Madia, Peter Garfield and Terry Alexander said after they closed temporarily several weeks ago due to unexpected damage to their building, they have found themselves unable to reach a resolution with their landlord.
The Violet Hour opened in 2007 on Damen Avenue behind an unmarked door hidden behind murals and wheatpasted signs. Often, the entrance was entirely invisible save for the line of people outside waiting for their turn to get cocktails.
The cocktail bar was at the forefront of Chicago's speakeasy trends, and in the dim, candlelit interior just beyond heavy velvet curtains, their bartenders crafted a cocktail program that captured national attention. The Violet Hour won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar in 2015 and was nominated for the award three other times.
"This is not the end of The Violet Hour as a brand, and yet it is the end of this chapter," the owners wrote on Instagram. "You may see us again somewhere down the line."
"To every guest who has ever found their way behind the curtains: thank you. You made this place what it was. We are forever grateful."
