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 For nearly two years, the owners searched the rapidly gentrifying, increasingly costly neighborhoods on the fringe of the city’s bustling downtown area for a location suitable to fulfill their longtime dream, their own pool- room.
And, as if coached by Yogi Berra himself, one owner admits, ”I found it in the last place I looked!” What they found was a long, narrow corner building in the already hip, and soon to be trendy, River West area. Located along a branch of the Chicago River, a stone’s throw from the ultra-popular East Bank Club, their new City Pool Hall is neatly nestled into the city’s fastest-growing neighborhood.
The 6,000-square-foot building and patio space originally served as a machine shop, and supposedly was used to support the war effort during World War II. More recently, the space had been the home of several underground dance clubs – a windowless dungeon opened only on weekends to the vampire/night-stalker set. The family owned business, spent nearly eight months knocking down walls and installing windows on the building’s south side to create a brighter atmosphere. What he was left with was a space- enhancing exposed frame ceiling, and 3,000 square feet of uninterrupted playing area. Not a single post obstructs the view of City Pool Hall’s 12 Brunswick Gold Crown IV tables, which rest on tasteful mauve carpeting. (Half of the tables are 9-foot, half 8-foot.)
 “We were the first room in the United States to have the Brunswick Gold Crown IVs,” the owners stated proudly. The remainder of City Pool Hall’s space houses a game room, with darts and video games, as well as an outdoor beer garden.
The front area at City Pool Hall features a tile floored dining area, with seating for approximately 30 lunch-goers. The glass-block service and liquor bar can seat another two dozen patrons. (The extensive menu of creatively designed sandwiches and salads, cranked out by a full, state-of-the-art kitchen, has already drawn a sizable group of lunchtime regulars.) One owner is a longtime American Pool Players Association league member, and plans to run plenty of leagues and tournaments. Which should play well in downtown Chicago, a major metropolitan area that inexplicably suffers from a death of quality billiard clubs.
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