Scarlet Red Hot Once Again

By Tony Peregrin in Food on Aug 31, 2009 8:40PM

These days, when people refer to Scarlet, the popular Boystown bar, as “smokin’-hot” they’re referring to the bar’s posh new interior, and not to the fire that destroyed the establishment in February of this year. Nearly a 100 firefighters responded to the early-morning blaze which leveled the bar and the residences that occupied the second and third floors of the building. Neighboring gay bars and clubs rallied around owner Paul Cannella and his employees by hosting a series of fundraisers to help those suddenly out of job, and some cases, out of home. Fast-forward to a few months later, and Cannella is ready to re-launch Scarlet, a bar often described as “Wicker Park comes to Boystown,” in late September. “After the fire, my initial reaction was to rebuild it exactly the same as it was and to get the doors open as fast as possible. But as more time went by, we were able to think things through and take the best of the best of the bar and incorporate it into the new Scarlet,” says Cannella, 39, a Lincoln Park resident.

“There were times when we got kicked down and we just didn’t want to get back up,” admits Cannella, who had to endure a full-building certification before the re-launch. “When we took over the spot from Gentry, we had a repair and replace permit in 3 days,” says Cannella, referring to the long-standing North Halsted piano bar that catered to older gay men. “But this time, after the fire, we had to take a 100-year old building and bring it up to code. Everything is brand-new, the plumbing, electrical—everything. The only things that are left from before are the floor joists and the brick walls!”

Cannella says the new Scarlet will be a blend of old and new. He was able to salvage some of the bar’s historic black and white photographs illustrating Chicago’s gay and lesbian history as well as some of the bar’s leaded glass, and incorporate them into the bar’s new look: hard wood floors with a rich, ebony finish, a new glass window front (“which is more inviting for daytime business”), and new antique lighting fixtures.

Scarlet will continue to promote its trademark “everyone’s welcome” laid-back vibe and will once again host popular nights such as Frat House Thursdays, which Cannella describes as a house party-in-a-bar, complete with games (flip cup, anyone?), bad movies on the video screens, and bowls of snacks around the bar. “Ultimately, I don’t necessarily think of Scarlet as a gay bar, I think of it as a place where everyone can hang out, regardless of sexual orientation. Maybe that’s why I keep hearing the bar referred to as the Wicker Park of Boys Town.”

Post by Tony Peregrin