(Left) At upper left, a worker installs a light fixture over the entrance to this space, photographed on June 11, next to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. (Click on image to view larger version.)

24-Jun-15 – An owner of a bar that describes itself as “a regular guy bar for irregular folks who just don’t fit in or just don’t want to fit in” has applied for a license to serve liquor on the Chicago Riverwalk near the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

James Hinchsliff is one of four owners of The Hideout, located in a 100-year-old frame house northwest of the Loop at 1354 West Wabansia Avenue, close to the north branch of the Chicago River. Hinchsliff is also the registered agent of an LLC that applied for a “consumption on premises” license on June 18.

KIIT, LLC, was founded on May 3, 2015, and has the same address as The Hideout, according to Illinois Secretary of State records.

The Hideout did not respond to a message seeking confirmation that they are expanding to the Riverwalk. The space that at least one of the owners is apparently leasing – on the Riverwalk between Wabash Avenue and State Street – has never had a permanent tenant since the memorial opened in November 2005.

The Hideout is also a live music venue, known for eclectic, alternative bands. Notable artists who have performed there include Billy Corgan, Death Cab for Cutie, Robyn Hitchcock, The White Stripes, and Wilco before they were called Wilco.

(Right) Wabansia Avenue location of The Hideout.

“The Hideout is not your dad’s bar, but your granddad’s bar,” reads a description on the bar’s website. “It is the bar that granddad went to when he was young and crazy. He did his best to hide that past from your dad, but you have found it.”

James Hinchsliff owns The Hideout along with his twin brother, Mike, and husband-and-wife Tim Tuten and Katie Nicholson. They purchased the bar in 1996.