The History of Baer's Treasure Chest Downtown Chicago's Arcade and Magic Shop.

In November of 1949, Bobby Baer opened his magic store, "Baer's Treasure Chest," at 19 West Randolph Street, across the street from the Oriental Theater in downtown Chicago.

A two-story-high, chase-lighted marquee out front heralded the arrival of Baer's "Treasure Chest" and home of "Chicago's Magic Center." The Treasure Chest front entrance circa 1950.

Inside were rows of skee-ball games, a shooting gallery, many flashing pinball games and coin-consuming mechanical arcade machines. 

In the 1960s & '70s, the Treasure Chest was a hang-out for Navy Cadets on a pass from Fort Sheridan, just north of Highland Park, about an hour's train ride away.

The Illinois General Assembly made "mechanical gambling devices" illegal in 1895. It wasn't until 1942 that the Illinois Supreme Court ruled that pinball machines that awarded free replays would fall under this same category. Because of a bit of political gamesmanship known only to Bobby Baer and certain city councilmen, the new amusement palace was the only arcade licensed within Chicago's Loop, thus allowing pinball machines. The Illinois pinball machine ban was finally overturned in Chicago in early 1977.

Magician Marshall Brodien demonstrating at the Treasure Chest's Magic Center, the upstairs shop that catered to the pros.

Brodien began making semi-regular guest appearances on Bozo's Circus, in which he frequently interacted with the clowns, he began appearing as a wizard character in an Arabian Nights-inspired costume in 1968, and by the early 1970s he evolved into "Wizzo the Wizard."

Marshall Brodien played Wizzo the Wizard on 'The Bozo Show.'

Brodien's TV Magic Cards were first released in November of 1969. TV Magic Show was released in 1972.

The Marshall Brodien Magic Shop in Old Chicago Shopping Mall and Amusement Park in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Brodien was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2007. Brodien died on March 8, 2019, in Geneva, Illinois, at 84.

When you entered the front door and walked past the counter on the right side, there were stairs leading to an upstairs shop on the right. The entrance had a velvet rope across it and a small sign saying "Abbott's Pro Shop." The rope barrier was to keep out the idly curious. You needed permission from an employee to go upstairs. 

Although the upstairs Pro Shop had professional, high-quality, and expensive magic, the downstairs area had a magic area that sold some professional tricks. 

Further down on the right side were the gag gifts; fake vomit, doggie poop, itching powder, plastic ice cube with a fly inside (my favorite prank), Pepper or Garlic Gum, hand buzzer shockers, and tons more cheap but fun gags.

On the left side, as you entered, were counters and shelving full of jewelry, watches, transistor radios, tape recorders, switchblade combs, and other kinds of "general merchandise." You could get your headline printed on the front page of a faux newspaper, i.e., "Dr. Smith Survives a Flood, Asteroid Strike, and Airplane Crash."

1974 Midway Chopper helicopter coin-operated flying arcade game. It was touchy business making a toy helicopter to fly in slow circles and brush electric contacts with spring feelers before the timer ran out. My personal favorite mechanical game.

Skee-Ball Machines... Win tickets and turn them in at the counter for a cheesy toy.

Examples of the type of pinball games. Not a Treasure Chest photo.

In the back half of the store were all the amusement games, taking up every inch of available floor space: Pinball, mechanical games, and a row of skee-ball machines. Later, they added coin-operated video games but kept some of the money-making vintage games. Lunchtime, 11 AM-1 PM, was also hectic with 'suits' playing games.

In the 1960s, they were open 7 days a week until midnight. A 1960s Tribune Ad shows a second location at 9252 Milwaukee Avenue in Niles.

By 1980, the hours were changed to 9 AM-10 PM Monday through Thursday, 9 AM-midnight on Friday & Saturday, and 12 PM-10 PM on Sunday.

In the 1970s, some people thought the name of the Treasure Chest was "Fun City" because the sign over the door read: "Entrance to FUN CITY." Note that the length of the front windows was at some point elongated from about 5' to the door in the 1950s photo above to approximately 15' to get in the door. All the merchandise in the windows drew you in like a magnet.

Baer's Treasure Chest closed sometime in 1985 after a fire in the 17-19 W. Randolph building.

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.