Looking Back At Hugh Hefner's Chicago Roots
News broke late Wednesday night that Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner died at age 91. Hefner, a West Side Chicago native, founded Playboy in Chicago in 1953. "Playboy could not have happened anywhere but Chicago," Hefner told the Chicago Tribune in 2012. As the magazine grew to become a cultural force in the 1960s, Hefner also left his mark on Chicago real estate.
The most obvious testament to Playboy's time in Chicago is the Playboy Mansion at 1340 North State St. Hefner bought the mansion for $400K in 1959 ($3.4M in today's dollars) only after he was able to convince city officials that the basement pool he planned to build was for his personal use. Hefner lived on the third and fourth floors of the mansion and set up his office in his bedroom, while the second floor was used as a dormitory for Playboy bunnies who paid $50/month in rent.
Hefner bought his Los Angeles mansion in 1971 and gradually spent more time there. In 1984, Playboy Enterprises leased the Chicago mansion to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago for $10/year, and it served as student housing until 1990. Eventually, the Playboy Mansion was converted into condos, selling at $3M a pop.
Playboy's first offices were at 11 East Superior, Chicago, across from Holy Name Cathedral. But the magazine's best-known Chicago HQ was at the Palmolive Building. Hefner signed a 133K SF lease on the fourth through 12th floors in 1965, and moved in two years later. Hefner selected the location partially because he was fascinated with the Palmolive building's searchlight. He had the Playboy logo installed in neon, below the searchlight.
In a cost-cutting move, Playboy Enterprises moved its offices to 680 North Lake Shore Drive in 1988 and called it home until operations were consolidated on the West Coast five years ago. Golub sold the office portion of the building to TopMed Realty for $110M in February.
Hefner dabbled in hospitality, most notably with his Playboy Clubs. The first club opened Feb. 29, 1960, at 119 East Walton. The club moved several times before closing in 1986. The original location is now One Magnificent Mile.
Hefner bought the Knickerbocker Hotel in the early 1970s and rebranded it the Playboy Towers Hotel. The name was removed in 1976, amidst fiscal woes at the hotel. It is now known as the Millennium Knickerbocker Hotel.
