CHICAGO — A nightclub on Chicago’s North Side is closing its doors after nearly 40 years in business. 

Berlin, a nightclub located in Lakeview, announced in social media posts on Tuesday that it would be shutting down for good. In the posts, the closure was blamed on increasing expenses that took a toll on the club.

“The expenses of increased security, insurance and licensing, equipment, rent and more cannot be overestimated and we could not imagine morphing the bar into a bottle service, VIP area venue. So the doors are locked,” the post read in part.

The posts did not make mention of the recent strike and unionization efforts by employees.

Back in October, the club shared an open letter on its website following the unionization of its employees and the contract negotiations that followed. In the letter, the club’s owners claimed that the union’s economic proposals would cost over half a million dollars and added that the club was already surviving on a slim margin.  

The club, which first opened in 1983, was named “Best Dance Club in Chicago” by USA Today in 2019 and “Best Gay Bar” by Chicago Reader in 2021.