Washington Park strip club destroyed by fire

A Washington Park strip club was heavily damaged by fire early Friday morning.

The Main Street Club at 5103 Bunkum Road was fully involved in flames at 6 a.m. and flames could be seen from Interstate 64.

Firefighters from Washington Park, Cahokia, Camp Jackson, Fairview Heights, Midway and State Park battled the blaze. But it appears the building will be a complete loss.

The fire was originally reported about 4:30 a.m. It was unclear how the blaze started. But firefighters said they believed the fire ignited toward the rear of the structure.

Emergency workers said they did not believe anyone was in the building at the time the fire started.

The club was once owned by Thomas Venezia, whose video gambling ring pulled in $48 million through 27 local bars and strip clubs. The federal government seized the club and a judge gave it to Washington Park. The village used it for a library, community center and job training facility.

The former stripper jello wrestling pit became a children’s reading area and the gaudy club carpet remained under shelves of library books and computers used for worker training.

The center fell into disrepair and the village sold it to former trustee Willie “Big Mac” McIntosh with the restriction that it could not again become a strip club. McIntosh sold it to Doug and Genise Tally. It again became a strip club.

McIntosh died in late September at age 78.

The Tallys could not be reached for comment.

This story was originally published December 4, 2015 at 6:47 AM with the headline "Washington Park strip club destroyed by fire."