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Durbin talks about his tavern-owning days

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Illinois

* There was a big fire at Springfield’s Crows Mill Pub this week. The place was a regular hangout of mine back in the day when I was a student at Sangamon State. US Sen. Dick Durbin was one of its owners years before I got to town, but he and his partners created a venue that thrived through my early Springfield partying days. The SJ-R talked to Durbin about his memories of the place…

In a telephone interview, Durbin said he was at an interesting point in his life when he was approached about investing in the Crows Mill and serving as its attorney, something he would not be paid for.

It was 1976, and he’d just lost a bid for an Illinois Senate seat to incumbent John Davidson, a Republican.

The building at the time housed the Navy Club in the basement. The pitch was to convert the space into a lunch spot, bar and live music venue. The appeal, as it is today, was its proximity to Sangamon State University (now the University of Illinois Springfield) and Lincoln Land Community College.

Durbin said they really tried to create a unique place. He also remembers that he and other owners were confident their business would be popular.

“We were certain the McDonald’s Corp. was going to buy us out,” Durbin joked.

Ultimately, the Crows Mill ended up being a “crash course” in running a business, he said. They had some success, but not at the level they envisioned, so they sold it after five years.

The current owner says he will gut the charred interior and eventually reopen. I wish him nothing but the best.

posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 10:21 am

Comments

I’m breaking my “no posting on Cap Fax” rule twice in the same week. What’s this world coming to?! I hung out at there when it was Bootlegger’s a lot in my UIS days. It was shady but a lot of a fun.

Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 10:25 am
===when it was Bootlegger’s===

Yuck. I hated Bootleggers.

lol

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 10:28 am
Crows mill should set up a go find me site if there is a gap in insurance which I would suspect they will

Comment by Publius Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 10:30 am
Yes, my favorite menu item was “Carla’s Craving” a great cheese sandwich on homemade bread. You could enjoy a brew and contemplate why the the big American flag on the wall hung backwards.

Comment by SSU Alum Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 10:35 am
Rich - looking back it was definitely not the most pleasant place. But with UIS being sequestered in a corner of Springfield and not close to anywhere decent Bootlegger’s was within walking distance. Fifty cent draft night on Wednesdays really brought in a crowd, and profs who wants to relax after class would always buy drinks to anyone who was willing to tag along.

Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 10:37 am
I hope it gets rebuilt / restored inside but it could get complicated with the building being owned by one person and the business by another person. Assuming both had insurance, the two companies may not agree on who pays for what.

Comment by RNUG Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 10:50 am
Rich - Maybe you can invite reminiscences about another classic old Springfield eatery - The Southern Aire (most recently the Chesapeake).
I remember that they maintained rooms upstairs where some Senators and Reps and such would consummate their assignations with young ladies.
The management must have known a great deal!

Comment by Formerpol Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 11:15 am
Formerpol,
When I was young I was a night clerk at Lincoln Tower hotel which also had the Caucus Room. Now there’s some stories.

Comment by Casual observer Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 11:25 am
I hung out at Crow’s Mill in last half of 1970s and early 80s, lived on Cherylwood Drive off I-55. Had some fun, remember hanging with bass player for Springfield Shakey. One night a punk country band showed up and tore down the house, before they hit it big, was Jason and the Nashville Scorchers. Jason lives in Nashville now, good guy.

Comment by illinoised Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 12:17 pm
DD found out hit is much easier, and much more lucrative, to be a politician than be a business owner.

Comment by Piece of Work Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 12:27 pm
Ah the Reps at Lincoln Tower….you ALWAYS knew when Sheriff Dart and friends got home…sounding like some frat boys returning to the house. The “happy” hollars of “TOMM–MY” and laughter. They weren’t quite as perky for the 8 am committee I staffed the next day.

Comment by LincolnTower711 Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 2:15 pm
was this the place that used to be a school?

Comment by Ghost Friday, Sep 2, 16 @ 3:59 pm