Laura Riebschleger, 23, didn’t realize how much sleep she was missing until she moved this month from her apartment above a bar in Wrigleyville.
Drunken rants, cheers from Cubs fans and the sound of bottles smashing against the wall in a nearby alley regularly streamed into Riebschleger’s apartment two floors above the Blarney Stone, she said.
And the noise — which Riebschleger said worsened considerably when the Cubs won — wasn’t the only nuisance. Riebschleger said she and her roommates sometimes squeezed by people slumped near their doorway, and stepped over vomit and broken glass on their way to work.
“We had to go to work in the morning, but people were having fun till pretty late,” Riebschleger said. “We knew it was going to be noisy. We didn’t exactly know how noisy.”
Just out of college and looking for a fun place to live in Chicago, an apartment above a bar seemed ideal for Riebschleger and her two roommates. They wanted to be part of the hubbub, and beer was only a few steps away. But they — like others who live above Chicago bars — found that parking was problematic and the around-the-clock party noise wasn’t exactly music to their ears.
Blarney Stone owner Gerald Krystof said the bar tries to maintain a moderate noise level for its neighbors. He said the occasional patrons who cause a ruckus in the bar are asked to leave but may hang out near the bar. Krystof said anyone considering living above the Blarney Stone should “be prepared, because there’s going to be some noise from the jukebox.”
Under a city ordinance that took effect in April, residents tired of hearing the thumping of a neighboring bar’s sound system can file a complaint with the city to trigger a community meeting so businesses can respond and correct any problems. Six businesses have held at least one of these meetings, said Efrat Stein, spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Licensing.
Stein cautioned that people thinking about living above a bar should consider potential irritants before moving or signing a lease.
“[That area] may not have the same level of noise as a residential community,” Stein said.
Andrew Lincoln, 24, said he had to quickly adjust to night-life noise when he moved into his apartment one floor above Pint in Wicker Park.
About a year ago, Lincoln and his friends were looking for a place that was fun and exciting. Lincoln said their Wicker Park apartment doesn’t disappoint.
“My head seems like it’s 3 feet away from the speakers,” Lincoln said. “If you want to go to bed early, it isn’t happening.”
Pint manager Mike Lawrence said he hasn’t heard any noise complaints and said the bar “is not that loud.”
Lincoln said he eventually became part of the noise by hanging out at the bar every night. His location also came with another perk: Lincoln said he and his roommates spotted celebrities such as Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz and DJ Qualls, the geek in “Road Trip,” only steps away from their apartment.
“There’s always people around. You never feel like you’re not doing anything. There’s stuff outside that you feel you’re partaking in,” Lincoln said.
But the novelty of living above a bar has started to wear off. Lincoln said he only goes to the bar a few times a week now.
Pretty soon, he said, he will be moving to California — but not into another apartment above a bar.
“I think it’s time for peace and quiet,” Lincoln said. “It’s way too easy to have a good time on the weekend.”
Lincoln and other residents in similar situations recommend living above a bar if you’re young, new to the city or always looking to have fun. Light sleepers and fusspots need not apply.
James Kirkpatrick, 35, said a sense of humor came in handy 12 years ago when he moved into an apartment two floors above Big Daddy’s, a Lakeview bar that has since closed.
After he signed the lease but before he moved in, Kirkpatrick and a few friends checked out the bar one afternoon. Kirkpatrick said he knew something was amiss when he noticed one guy in the bar ogling his male friend.
That’s when Kirkpatrick realized he was going to be spending a year living above a gay bar, though he isn’t gay. The visit turned out to be the last time he stopped by the bar below him, Kirkpatrick said.
“Yeah, we lost a little bit of convenience, but it wasn’t much of a disappointment. … There are other bars in Chicago,” said Kirkpatrick, who now lives in Atlanta. “It was more amusing than anything.”
Kirkpatrick said the floor between him and the bar served as a sound buffer, though every weekend morning between 8 and 9, he was greeted by the sound of beer bottles being dumped into the nearby alley.
“That always woke us up without fail,” Kirkpatrick said. “The street noise was probably the loudest.”
But not all bars are noise offenders.
Joyce Levato, owner of Jimbo’s in Bridgeport, said she hasn’t heard any gripes from the tenants in the three stories above the bar.
“Not that I know of … the noise is just people talking,” she said.
One tenant above the bar, who declined to be named, said he only hears a little noise. He said he appreciates that police regularly patrol near the bar, which he said help keeps away the riff-raff.
Crow Bar, on the southeast side, which has one floor of tenants above it, also hasn’t fielded noise complaints, bartender Mike Carroll said.
“Above us, it’s 4 feet of cement,” Carroll said. “You can’t hear too much up there.”
Good thing, since the residents who live above the bar are Carroll’s grandparents.
Said Carroll: “It’s not a worry at all.”
City wants bars, neighbors to talk it out
The City Council approved in December an ordinance that outlines procedures for city residents to follow to complain about businesses that sell liquor. Common complaints include noise, congestion, fighting, public urination and other community concerns.
If five residents who live within 500 feet of a business with a liquor license complain to the city, the city sets up a meeting for residents and business owners to work out their differences, said Efrat Stein, spokeswoman for the city’s Department of Business Affairs and Licensing.
The business could face a fine if management fails to attend the meeting.
If the meeting does not achieve that goal, irritated residents can circulate a petition to spur a public nuisance hearing, where community members bring evidence of their grievances and the business is asked to devise a plan to address the concerns. If the business does not stick to the plan, the city liquor control commission holds a hearing to determine whether the business’ license should be revoked or suspended.
Since the city ordinance took effect in April, six businesses have attended at least an initial community meeting, Stein said. The businesses are not in jeopardy, nor are their licenses at risk, Stein said.
“Most of the time [the meetings] provide a positive outcome,” Stein said.
The businesses are:
– Cozmo’s, 2506-2508 N. Clybourn Ave.
– Luciano Food Market, 2458 W. Moffat St.
– Circuit, 3641 N. Halsted St.
– Inner Town Pub, 1935 W. Thomas St.
– El Senorial, 1637 W. North Ave.
– LomaLinda Bar, 2658 S. Trumbull Ave.
Todd Hembrook, a bartender at the Inner Town Pub, said the bar has participated in three community meetings after neighbors complained about noise. As a result of the meetings, a doorman now sits outside the bar instead of inside the pub’s doorway to help patrons leave in a quieter manner, he said.
“The lines of communication are open,” Hembrook said. “The relationship between us and the neighbors right now is good.”
Cozmo’s has participated in two meetings after neighbors complained about noise, said Mark Delia, owner of Stooges Bar and Grill, which recently replaced Cozmo’s, a nightclub. Delia said changing the bar from a club to a neighborhood tavern was necessary to deal with the complaints.
El Senorial has transformed from a cantina into the Wicker Well, a neighborhood tavern, amid neighbor complaints about patrons lingering outside the bar, manager Robert Gonzalez said. Gonzalez said he has seen the bar’s relationship improve with its neighbors after two community meetings, though progress varies “night by night.”
Managers of the other businesses did not return calls at press time. The city would not discuss the nature of the complaints.
— Tracy Swartz, RedEye
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tswartz@tribune.com
