Lights, Camera, History, at Chicago’s Oldest Slaughterhouse

If they could only talk, the old, rusted chains, cavernous ceilings, worn slaughtering tables, and lamb carcasses hanging from meat hooks of Chiappetti Lamb and Veal would have more than their share of stories to tell. Now there is one more.

On April 13 and 14, scenes from the upcoming Fox TV show, Pleading Guilty, were filmed at Chicago’s Oldest Slaughterhouse, Chiappetti Lamb and Veal, 3900 S. Emerald Ave. The show, based on a Scott Turow novel, stars John Larroquette and Harry Potter’s Jason Isaacs as Chicago lawyers dancing along a fine line of corruption. But despite these high-powered actors, Chiappetti might have stolen these scenes, once again proving the value of preserving history.

“Our artists are great,” commented a gaffer on the set, “but with all the original walls and hardware, there is no way they could re-create this place.”

--Submitted by David Witter, author of the coming LCP title, OIdest Chicago (May/June 2010)

An Easy Peek into Chicago's Speakeasy History

Join Preservation Chicago for Drinking in Your History, with new Lake Claremont Press author Sean Parnell, on May 12, 2010, at the Green Door Tavern at 678 N. Orleans, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $25 and available only in advance at www.preservationchicago.org.

What a deal! Ticket price includes 2 drink tickets, light appetizers, a copy of Parnell's new book, Historic Bars of Chicago, AND a one-year membership to Preservation Chicago.

The building housing the Green Door Tavern, one of the most historic in Chicago, was built in 1872. It was one of the first constructed after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and one of the last wood-frame buildings allowed to be built within such proximity to the Loop. It opened as the Green Door Tavern in 1921 and survived Prohibition as a speakeasy. The bar is making its speakeasy room available for this lecture, book signing, and social event.

Sean Parnell is a native of the Chicago area and founder of the Chicago Bar Project. Of the wooden structure that leans a bit because of its almost 140 years, Parnell says, "it has enough Americana crammed into every nook and cranny to make the Smithsonian jealous."

Preservation Chicago advocates for the preservation of Chicago's historic architecture through:

• Advocating and formulating policy that strengthens the process of preservation
• Recommending strategies that foster intelligent planning
• Partnering with communities to raise awareness of and advocate for the preservation of historically significant buildings and neighborhood spaces
• Compiling and disseminating information about historically significant, at-risk buildings and urban spaces

Tickets: Available onlyat www.preservationchicago.org, through midnight of May 11, 2010.

For more information: Call 773/334-8800, or email info@preservationchicago.org.