Arts & Entertainment
FitzGerald’s Owner on What Makes the Berwyn Nightclub ‘Historic’ — From Al Capone’s Gang to Local Community

This year FitzGerald’s Nightclub will celebrate 45 years in business.
This month it made history.
The beloved American roots music club has been honored with a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, and it’s the first Illinois music venue to be recognized by the National Park Service.
Co-owners and spouses Will Duncan and Jess King purchased FitzGerald’s five years ago from Bill and Kate FitzGerald, who had been the owners since 1980. The timing was not ideal — Duncan and King took over in March 2020 and closed less than two weeks later due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In March 2020, WTTW News spoke with Duncan after he’d been dealt the tough hand. He was the picture of optimism.
“I love the place,” Duncan said. “This is a dream come true.”
This week we spoke with King, co-owner and marketing manager of the nightclub at 6615 W. Roosevelt Road in west suburban Berwyn.
King led the effort to earn the prestigious designation, and it wasn’t a slam dunk. Despite its rustic charm and cozy Northwoods aesthetic, FitzGerald’s isn’t exactly architecturally significant.
But it is significant to the community and to music fans, and it has been for more than 100 years. Over the decades it has been named the Deer Lodge and the Hunt Club and Club Ritz, but it never really changed much.
King talked about the histories and mysteries contained within the walls of the treasured nightspot.
FitzGerald’s Nightclub was once known as Club Ritz. Image circa 1930s. (Courtesy of FitzGerald’s Nightclub)
WTTW News: You spent a lot of time researching the building’s history. What did you discover? Any enduring mysteries?
Jess King: The biggest mystery of all is that we could not find the exact dates that it was constructed, and we cannot find the name of the original business. We do know that it was originally built as a dance hall, because that’s what it’s labeled on the property map, the grid. We believe it was built between 1911 and 1917. Then in the 1920s, during Prohibition, it was an ‘athletic club’ — we can only assume what happened there during that time. There’s no advertisements or articles that we could find from the time.
The property opened as Club Ritz literally within weeks of Prohibition ending, so it was ready to go. It had direct ties to Al Capone’s gang. Jack ‘Machine Gun’ McGurn, who was involved in the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, it was his hangout spot, and there’s a record of the Berwyn mayor in 1934 shutting down Club Ritz for a time because it was so affiliated with Capone’s gang.
Now you’re recognized by the National Park Service.
King: It took almost two years, more than we anticipated, but this was a no-brainer. We just had to see it through.
When did you think you had a chance?
King: A strong indicator that we were going to receive it was when the Illinois Preservation Board had to vote on whether they were going to pick this up and pass it to the next level, the National Park Service (NPS). So we went down to Springfield, my family and a few of our employees. We all traveled to be there for the vote and see them debate it. It was pretty cool, because we got to see them in real time unanimously vote to pass it on to the NPS.
And when did you find out that you’d made history?
King: We got an email on Jan. 3. All it said was ‘great news,’ and it had us formally listed on the National Park Service website.
Your reactions?
King: We were sitting in our house and our entire family had the flu [laughs], and it definitely made us feel better. There were some happy tears.
Did you think it was ever in doubt?
King: There were certain points throughout the past two years where we weren’t sure that it was going to happen. We had been told on a couple of occasions that this was a ‘unique’ listing for the National Historic Register, meaning that it’s not listed for its architectural value or for famous names coming from the club. It’s more for its cultural significance, and what it means to the community more than anything else.
FitzGerald’s Nightclub staff in 2025. (Courtesy of FitzGerald’s Nightclub)
And you have had famous names come though the club.
King: Right, Stevie Ray Vaughan was in the second American Music Festival in 1982 or 1983 and Chicago blues legend Koko Taylor and Steve Earle and Lucinda Williams. Los Lobos is a favorite, and they’ve been playing there forever. Dave Alvin has been playing there since the early 1980s.
During the process you also got support from the FitzGerald’s community.
King: There was a period where anybody could write letters of support to the preservation board, and the board told us that they don’t think they ever received so many letters of support for a listing.
This business came with a community. We never had to build one, it just came with it. There are people who’ve been working here 30+ years.
And it’s not just about FitzGerald’s as a business.
It has been FitzGerald’s since 1980, but the fact that it was a continuously live music venue since the early 1900s is really unheard of, especially in the area that we live. We’re located between a liquor store, a slots place and a Burger King. It’s a rare and special place that really shouldn’t be there [laughs], but for some reason every person who has been a steward of the place decided not to change a thing, and that’s why we’re getting this designation.
It has stayed pretty much the same, but can you make changes now?
King: We could make a renovation tomorrow. It’s not protected in that sense, but we would just lose the designation, and then you can’t get it back because once you’ve changed an original part of the building, it’s gone. It’s protected in the sense that we know we don’t want to make changes. We want to keep it the way that it is. There will come a day when we’re ready to move on and ready to sell and we’ll be looking specifically for someone who agrees to uphold that designation, so that’s how it’s protected.
The property has been described as a living history, and that’s kind of perfect. There’s something about it that words cannot portray. There’s something about walking through those doors and seeing a show there that’s truly special. Once you know that it has been that way for over 100 years, it makes it even more special.
Note: FitzGerald’s Nightclub is planning a celebration when the historic plaques are installed onsite in the spring.
FitzGerald’s Nightclub was known as the Deer Lodge in 1964. (Courtesy of FitzGerald’s Nightclub)
Marc Vitali is the JCS Fund of the DuPage Foundation Arts Correspondent.