90 years of Billy Goat Tavern: A Chicago landmark and political hotspot
CHICAGO — If you’re looking to rub elbows with some political heavyweights the convention floor at the United Center is the best bet during business hours. But after the gavel slams, there’s a good bet, after hours you might find a few of them at 430 North Michigan Avenue.
“Enter at your own risk” is the unofficial welcome of the Billy Goat Tavern.
Co-owner Bill Sianis’s great uncle opened the Lincoln Tavern in 1934, but the name would change with the arrival of a new pet.
“He heard this noise outside the door, opened the door and saw a goat outside,” Sianis said.
The goat was adopted, and so soon the saloon had a new name, the Billy Goat Tavern. And it’s now celebrating its 90th year in business.
It has made its mark on pop culture, parodied on Saturday Night Live by former Billy Goat customers who became famous comedians. And to this day, they’re still serving in the same style.
Long known as an ink-stained watering hole for weary reporters, it became a favorite of legendary columnist Mike Royko.
“You could stumble here from four different newspapers at one time,” Chicago Tribune reporter and author Rick Kogan said. “The Sun-Times and the Daily News and the Tribune, and The American. … And you could stumble back to work too.”
The Billy Goat played a mythical role in Chicago Cubs history. When Cubs owner Philip K. Wrigley kicked out Sianis and his goat during the 1945 World Series, Sianis declared the Cubs would never win again.
His nephew explains, “He didn’t do any ritual or anything. He told Mr. Wrigley, ‘As long as the goat is not let back in, they’ll never win the World Series.’ So it became a curse over the years.”
More Coverage: 2024 Democratic National Convention
The “Subterranean Saloon,” as Kogan calls it also occupies a unique space in the heart of the city.
“It is a neighborhood tavern in a place that is really not a neighborhood,” he said. “We’re in the middle of downtown. There are very few places like this left, even in neighborhoods anymore.”
That’s why it has become an attractive campaign stop for politicians looking to connect with the common man.
In 1991, President George Herbert Walker Bush dropped in for lunch.
“He had a couple double cheese, and sat and talked about everything,” Sianis said. “People were asking him all different questions about what was going on.”
During the 1996 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, then-First lady Hillary Clinton held a private party with Mr. Cub Ernie Banks at the Billy Goat.
“She went to school in Park Ridge at Maine South, same school I went (to),” Sianis said. “So she wanted to have a party with some of her close friends and she had a private party here.”
The bar boasts a collection of press passes and campaign buttons
In 1944, both the DNC and the RNC were held at Chicago Stadium. At the RNC, Sianis expected a packed house. But on the first night, the bar was empty.
It turned out, big trucks blocked the bar, and nobody noticed it. So Sianis put a sign in the window that said “No Republicans Allowed.”
Soon curious republicans wandered in and Sinais had his busiest week.
Kogan said it’s a reminder that for 90 years everybody has been welcome at the Billy Goat.
“All you have to do is look around. Anybody from Chicago would feel comfortable in this place, because in the grand tradition of neighborhood taverns, they treat everybody equally,” he said. “It levels life’s playing field like any good tavern should.”
For those who can’t find the underground location – the Billy Goat also has locations near the United Center, Navy Pier and across from Wrigley Field, whichever floats your goat.
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