HEF OPENS FIRST PLAYBOY CLUB
Chicago, Illinois (JFK+50) On February 29, 1960, Hugh Hefner* opened his first Playboy Club** at 116 E. Walton Street here in the Windy City. Admittance to the club first required a membership key, and later changed to a membership card (dues at $25 a year).
The distinctive feature of the club was waitresses dressed as Playboy "Bunnies." The club featured a Living Room, Bar, Dining Room and Club Room.
Opening night entertainers included Bobby Short, Irwin Corey, Mabel Mercer and Mae Barnes. While Playboy officials cannot say why the club opened on a "Leap Day," founder and CEO Hugh Hefner later wrote...
"My initial concern was how to recreate...the fantasy that was reflected in the pages of the magazine. As it turned out, we put it all together and they brought the fantasy with them."
*Hugh Marston Hefner (1926-2017) was born in Chicago. He served in the US Army (1944-1946) & received a BA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1949). HMH worked at Esquire magazine before launching Playboy magazine in 1953.
**Chicago's Playboy Club was located on E. Walton St. (1960-1980) & relocated to Clark & Armitage, Lincoln Park (1980-1986). The last PBC in the U.S. closed in 1988.
SOURCES
"29th February: Birthday Horoscope," www.sunsigns.org/
"The Very First Playboy Club Opened on Leap Day in Chicago," by Justin Breen, February 29, 2016, www.dnainfo.com/
Playboy Club Bar
Palms Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada (2007)
Photo by terren in Virginia
Flickr
Chicago, Illinois (JFK+50) On February 29, 1960, Hugh Hefner* opened his first Playboy Club** at 116 E. Walton Street here in the Windy City. Admittance to the club first required a membership key, and later changed to a membership card (dues at $25 a year).
The distinctive feature of the club was waitresses dressed as Playboy "Bunnies." The club featured a Living Room, Bar, Dining Room and Club Room.
Opening night entertainers included Bobby Short, Irwin Corey, Mabel Mercer and Mae Barnes. While Playboy officials cannot say why the club opened on a "Leap Day," founder and CEO Hugh Hefner later wrote...
"My initial concern was how to recreate...the fantasy that was reflected in the pages of the magazine. As it turned out, we put it all together and they brought the fantasy with them."
*Hugh Marston Hefner (1926-2017) was born in Chicago. He served in the US Army (1944-1946) & received a BA from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1949). HMH worked at Esquire magazine before launching Playboy magazine in 1953.
**Chicago's Playboy Club was located on E. Walton St. (1960-1980) & relocated to Clark & Armitage, Lincoln Park (1980-1986). The last PBC in the U.S. closed in 1988.
SOURCES
"29th February: Birthday Horoscope," www.sunsigns.org/
"The Very First Playboy Club Opened on Leap Day in Chicago," by Justin Breen, February 29, 2016, www.dnainfo.com/
Playboy Club Bar
Palms Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada (2007)
Photo by terren in Virginia
Flickr
