Chicago Is Getting a New Bar Inside a Former Funeral Home

Chicago is getting a new bar inside a former funeral home, and if the thought of sipping a cocktail in a place that once handled the dearly departed doesn't give you goosebumps, you’re braver than I am.

I am the type of person who gets nervous just thinking about visiting a haunted place, but loves reading about them. I don't watch scary movies because they make me scared to go to the basement alone to get my laundry.

READ MORE: Viral Video of Delivery Robot Chaos in Chicago 

So, when I heard that a new bar is being built inside a former funeral home in Chicago, of course I was oddly fascinated.

Most Unique Bar in Illinois

From the 1960s until 2019, this building at 3601 W. Diversey Avenue in Chicago's Logan Square served as a funeral home.

Google Street View

Now the building is being transformed into a bar, and I'm not sure how I feel about that.

According to Block Club Chicago, the building's new owners, Valerie and James Spyropoulos, "plan to preserve the historic building facade, its stained-glass windows and possibly the old funeral home sign", but they insist it won't be a creepy haunted attraction... despite what the name suggests.

The new Afterlife Bar and Grill is envisioned to be more of a fun, sports bar atmosphere with beer, cocktails, burgers, wings and other American-style bar foods.

But COME ON.

You cannot tell me you would walk into a bar that used to be a funeral home and not immediately wonder if the person sitting quietly at the end of the bar has actually been there since 1987.

Of course, the owners are considering some fun afterlife-themed drink names, including a cocktail called “Six Feet Under” so a little creepiness will still remain within the walls.

near empty wineglass

When Will Afterlife Bar & Grill Open?

If you're hoping the Afterlife Bar and Grill will be open for Halloween season this year, I have bad news for you: opening day is still a ways off. The owners say construction will take at least a year, which makes sense when you're trying to preserve a historic building.

So eventually, Chicago will have a brand-new bar where people can enjoy cocktails, burgers, sports and an unintentional supernatural ambiance.

If I ever go there, I already know my rules:

I am not going into the basement. I am not using the bathroom alone. And if someone whispers my name from an empty room, I am leaving my drink, my purse and possibly one of my shoes behind.

Because I may be curious about the Afterlife Bar…

But I am not trying to visit the afterlife myself.