![]() ![]() The rules were strict: No male visitors and no liquor unless Hefner offered it. Hefner lived on the second floor of the mansion, and the third and fourth floors would become Bunny dormitories, where rent was $50 a month. House guests were common and included cartoonist Shel Silverstein, comedian Bill Cosby, all five Rolling Stones and actor Warren Beatty. His office was in his bedroom, which later included a 100-inch-diameter circular bed described as having "more controls and more gadgets than a Boeing 747." Other Hefner additions include sun and steam rooms, a bowling alley, game room, a closed-circuit television security system and a full-size movie projection system. in the manner of an aquarium, permitting a view of the swimmers and pool activities." The city would only allow it after Hefner convinced officials it was for personal, not commercial, use.Ī spread in the March 5, 1961, Chicago Tribune magazine described how Hefner turned a car-service area into a lounge, which was positioned slightly lower than the bottom of the pool: ". Hefner purchased the mansion in 1959 for $400,000 with plans to build a pool in the basement. (Playboy Enterprises) (Playboy Enterprises) Hefner (Chicago Tribune, April 21, 2012) Hefner works on the first issue of Playboy magazine in his Chicago apartment. Harper Ave., ran wild in a State Street mansion and grew into a global presence on Michigan Avenue visible to anyone driving down Lake Shore Drive." "I like to think the magazine's presence provided the city with an edge, a reminder to the rest of America that the first steps of the sexual revolution took place at a card table at 6052 S. In 2017, the magazine had about 800,000 subscribers. ![]() He described his enjoyment in watching people pick up the magazine from newsstands in December 1953.īy 1971, when Playboy Enterprises went public, the magazine was selling more than 7 million copies a month. It didn't include a cover date since Hefner was unsure when or if he would be able to produce another. His debut issue, produced at his apartment's kitchen table, featured a Marilyn Monroe photograph purchased from a suburban calendar company. In an April 21, 2012, editorial in the Chicago Tribune, Hefner said he started the magazine with $8,000 raised through selling his furniture and borrowing from family and friends. The apartment where Hefner produced the first copy of Playboy Marici during a visit to the school Sept. ![]() 20, 1994) Hefner enjoys a light moment with Steinmetz High School Principal Rose C. I really felt I could walk right back into my childhood." I went back to Steinmetz High School, I noted that they still had on the wall the honor roll of the boys who'd served in World War II, with my name and those of my classmates on it. "When I walked the streets of my old neighborhood during that October (1992) visit, it was magic. He visited the school in 2010 and made a $7,500-a-year, five-year commitment to keep printing its newspaper. He also served as student council president, according to the school's website. While a student at the school (known as Steinmetz High School when he graduated in 1944), Hefner founded a school paper, wrote and drew cartoons. Steinmetz College Prep, Hefner's high school The closest busy street to us was Grand Avenue, which led straight into the heart of the city." ![]() "I had a very happy and very inventive childhood in my old Chicago neighborhood on the Northwest Side, between Oak Park Avenue and Harlem. In the February 1994 Chicago Tribune magazine, Hefner reflected on his time growing up on the city's Northwest Side and on the details of a visit he made there in October 1992. Hefner's childhood homeĪs a boy, Hefner published a typewritten newspaper and sold copies for a penny each in his childhood neighborhood. That's the spark Playboy creator Hugh Hefner needed to complete his vision for a gentleman's publication, which he hoped would have mass appeal - not just for its provocative photos - but also its witty, thought-provoking articles. All it took was the purchase of a Marilyn Monroe photo from a suburban Chicago calendar company. ![]()
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