Pilsen's Hidden Gem Pinball Museum Is Leveling Up — and Taking a Piece of the Neighborhood to the Loop

By Socialhood News · Il/Chicago/Pilsen · May 26, 2026

Pilsen has quietly been home to one of Chicago's quirkiest cultural treasures, and now it's going big. The Flip: Chicago's Playable Pinball Museum — the city's only dedicated nonprofit pinball museum — is moving from its cozy Pilsen prototype space to a brand-new, much larger home inside Block 37 in the Loop this summer.

Founder William Pietri first brought The Flip to Pilsen in July 2024, opening a 550-square-foot space that let neighbors discover Chicago's deep ties to pinball history. The new Loop location will be a massive leap forward — expanding to 2,900 square feet with more than 30 playable machines spanning the 1930s to today, alongside exhibits that trace the game's roots. As Pietri puts it, "Chicago is the home of pinball," and the neighborhood that incubated this passion project deserves enormous credit for helping it grow. While admission at the Pilsen space was always free, the new location will introduce ticketed entry, though visitors will still be able to play a few machines at the front for free.

For Pilsen neighbors, this is a homegrown success story worth celebrating — a community-rooted institution that found its footing on the neighborhood's streets before earning a citywide stage. If you want to catch The Flip before it makes its Loop debut, now's your chance to visit the original Pilsen location. Follow updates at theflipchicago.com and keep an eye out for the grand opening announcement.

Sources:
1. https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/05/11/chicagos-only-pinball-museum-moving-from-pilsen-to-the-loop-this-summer/