Berlin Nightclub on Belmont Avenue in Chicago will reopen this month as a combined cocktail bar and dance club.
HV Entertainment is launching the new venture under the name of “The Belmont,” a cocktail bar in the 954 W. Belmont Ave. space inhabited for decades by LGBTQ+ friendly nightclub Berlin. The venue is scheduled to open April 25 2026 pending city of Chicago approval, according to Axios Chicago.
The bar will transform at night into a dance club called Decibel three nights a week (Wednesday, Friday and Saturday). Austin Neff and Marcus Devin are among a number of former Berlin employees are involved in the project.
Originally opened by Tim Sullivan and Shirley Mooney in 1983, Berlin was a cultural institution for four decades before shutting down amid labor strife with unionized staff in 2023. Jim Schuman and Jo Webster, who owned Berlin since 1994, attributed the closure to the costs of “increased security, insurance, licensing, equipment, rent and more” amid with Schuman’s battle with cancer.
