Vic Shaw's Brothel

Before the Everleigh sisters arrived in Chicago, Vic Shaw ran the most famous and well-equipped brothel in the Levee on Dearborn between Cullerton and 21st, today the site of the Hilliard Tower Apartment Homes, a queer-looking but well-groomed set of high rises, which has recently been converted from a public housing project.

Vic Shaw ran brothels in Chicago until 1938, but was viciously competitive with the Everleighs, and attempted to frame them or their girls for murder on several occasions in an attempt to turn public opinion against them. She may have succeeded all too well: the entire Levee was shut down by popular acclaim, including her own brothel at this location, in the 1910s.

Other well-known brothels that operated in this block during the 1900s included the "Old 92", "French Em's", the "House of All Nations," and "Dago Frank's". The House of All Nations had two entrances, one for $2.00 girls, and the other for $5.00 girls. The house was not particularly well-lit, and so few customers realized that the same set of girls served both doors.