The Green Mill sign on Broadway. Photo: Warren LeMay from Chicago, IL, United States / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
The Green Mill has new owners, and they are not new to the room. On June 19, Dave Jemilo handed the jazz club at Broadway and Lawrence to Jason Cole and Jill Skintges, two longtime employees who have worked behind the bar and in the office for years.
Jemilo bought the Green Mill in 1986, when Uptown’s nightlife was a fraction of what it is today. He restored the room, booked jazz seven nights a week and kept the booths, the bar and the decor largely as they were. The current space dates to 1935, though the business traces its roots to a roadhouse that opened on the site earlier in the century.
Continuity over change
Passing a business to employees is a common way for small owners to retire without selling to an outside buyer who might change the concept. For a place like the Green Mill, where the appeal lies in its history and atmosphere, that continuity is part of the value.
Regulars expect the familiar rules to stay: no talking during sets, a cover at the door and music until late. The Uptown Poetry Slam, which began at the club in 1986 and helped spread slam poetry around the world, remains on the Sunday schedule.
A year of attention
The handoff came months after the premiere of The Green Mill: A Real Chicago Joint, a documentary by Paul Carr that debuted in February 2026. The film drew fresh attention to the club’s history, including its Prohibition-era stories and its long run as one of the country’s best-known jazz rooms.
What it means for Broadway
The Green Mill is one of the anchors of the Broadway and Lawrence entertainment district, along with the Aragon, the Riviera and the long-dark Uptown Theatre. Its late hours keep foot traffic on the corner after concerts let out, which helps nearby restaurants and late-night food spots.
A stable ownership transition means one less question for a district that has seen plenty of uncertainty around the Uptown Theatre. For now, the music continues as it has for decades.
Joel Sandoval covers arts, music venues and nightlife.
