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Museums are always enriching, but rarely are they equally as entertaining as The Flip.
The Flip is Chicago’s only pinball museum, which traces nearly 150 years of the game’s history. Founded by William Pietri, a Midwest native and former pinball museum volunteer, the not-for-profit museum/arcade is settling into its new digs at Block 37 after nearly two years in a 550-square-foot space in Pilsen.
Instead of just telling the history of pinball, guests can experience it first-hand as every game at The Flip is playable. The best part? Every machine—even the rarest and most delicate one—is available for unlimited play with the purchase of an admission ticket.
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The journey starts with the classic wooden pin bagatelle, a primitive version of the game from the 1880s (seen below), to Bally’s, yes, that Bally, controversial 1932 follow-up, to an ultra-rare game from the 1930s, which, to the best of Pietri’s knowledge, is so rare that it’s not even recorded on the internet.
From there, more than 30 machines showcase the evolution of the game through prohibition and legalization in Chicago (pinball was considered a form of gambling for about 40 years in the early 1900s), technology advancements and failed developments, and pop culture’s colossal influence.
Most of the machines are on loan from collectors. Each time a new one comes in, Pietri and his team of volunteers crack open the hood for a tune-up. The workshop isn’t publicly on view, but Pietri will gladly give tours to anyone who asks.
The founder’s easygoing approach is derived from a lifelong appreciation for pinball and a desire to educate and engage curious guests. He’s currently working on converting an out-of-order machine into an ajar exhibit to display the incredibly intricate inner workings of a pinball machine, like the one seen above. He also sourced spare score reels for display, a growing library of historical references and catalogs of old-school game advertisements, and vintage collectibles like an old MAD magazine and Godzilla memorabilia. There’s even a ProView monitor set up with the iconic 1995 game 3D Pinball Space Cadet, also available for play.
The Flip expertly illustrates pinball’s peculiar history in a way that educates and entertains. In my short time there, I witnessed two different guests express their praise of The Flip to Pietri. One said her son was cranky before they came in, but the pinball palace mellowed him to a point of genuine joy. It’s safe to say I had the same experience.