Man's Country (bathhouse)

Man's Country was a gay bathhouse and private club located at 5015-5017 North Clark Street in Chicago. The club opened on September 19, 1973 and held the title of Chicago's longest-running gay bathhouse when it closed in 2017.[1][2][3] It was the third bathhouse founded by Chuck Renslow—a pioneering figure in Chicago's gay community—whose previous two clubs were forced to shut down due to homophobia-fueled pressure from the police.[2]

Man's Country was not only a bathhouse but also a concert venue, dance club, community space, gym, and sex club. The three-story complex included a steam room, whirlpool hot tub, and sauna in the basement; a ballroom with a 30-foot ceiling and stage (part of the building's original design as a lodge for a Swedish social club); 26 private rooms; two lounges; a sundeck; a weight room; a juice bar; and various fetish/play areas for cruising, including glory hole rooms.[1][2][3] Its basement wet area was designed to look like the Paris sewers.[4][5]

The club's popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s. Business declined as the HIV/AIDS crisis began to devastate the gay community in the mid-1980s. A dance club was added in 1987, but as the crisis subsided, patrons increasingly frequented Man's Country for sex rather than dancing or socializing. Famous entertainers who performed at the club include Grace Jones, Boy George, the Village People, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, The Manhattan Transfer, Sally Rand, Divine, and Bruce Vilanch.[1][2][5][6][3]

In the early 2010s the club stopped generating a profit, which the owners attributed to the cost of increasing property taxes, insurance, and deferred maintenance.[5][7] The club was put up for sale in 2016 but failed to attract a buyer. After Renslow died in June 2017, the decision was made to close at the end of the year.[5] A raucous 13-hour party called "Loose Ends" was held on New Year's Eve 2018 to celebrate the club and mark its closure.[7]

At Renslow's request, much of Man's Country's artwork and memorabilia, including murals by Dom Orejudos, was transferred to the Leather Archives & Museum.[3] The building was demolished and replaced with a nine-unit condo building named The Renslow in his honor.[8]

On May 25, 2018, the Chicago City Council voted to designate the eastern stretch of Clark Street between Winnemac Ave and Ainslie Ave—the historic location of Man's Country and other businesses owned by Renslow—as "CHUCK RENSLOW WAY."[9][10]