Author to Reopen Capone’s Vault at the Site of the Original Geraldo Rivera Broadcast on April 21 1986
CHICAGO, IL, April 20, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ — Forty years after The Mystery of Al Capone’s Vaults became one of the most infamous live broadcasts in television history, Chicago will once again turn its attention to the site of the original event.
On Tuesday, April 21, 2026, from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM, National Bestselling Author William Elliott Hazelgrove will reopen Capone’s vault live at the former Lexington Hotel site, recreating the suspense, spectacle, and cultural moment that captivated millions in 1986.
WGN-TV Chicago will be on-site providing live coverage throughout the morning, marking the 40th anniversary of the original broadcast and bringing the story full circle for a new generation.
A BUILDUP ACROSS CHICAGO MEDIA
The live vault opening follows a surge of media coverage surrounding Hazelgrove’s book Capone’s Vault, which reexamines what really happened the night America watched an empty vault be opened on live television—and why it mattered.
Recent coverage includes:
Live television segments on WGN-TV
Radio interviews on WGN Radio with Bob Sirott and John Landecker
A feature interview on WCPT
National broadcast coverage on Moody Radio
Regional coverage on KZIM
A major print feature in Chicago Magazine exploring the legacy of the vault
Together, the coverage has reframed the 1986 broadcast not as a failure—but as a pivotal moment that helped usher in the era of reality television.
REOPENING A CULTURAL MOMENT — LIVE
“When they opened that vault in 1986, people expected treasure,” said Hazelgrove. “What they got instead was something far more powerful—the birth of reality television.”
The April 21 event will recreate the live conditions of the original broadcast, bringing audiences back to the moment when anticipation, television, and history collided in real time.
This time, the question returns:
What was really in Capone’s vault—and what will be revealed now?
EVENT DETAILS
What: Capone’s Vault Reveal — 40th Anniversary Live Recreation
When: Tuesday, April 21, 2026 | 7:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Where: Site of the former Lexington Hotel, Chicago
Media Coverage: Live on-site by WGN-TV
William Hazelgrove is the National Bestselling author of ten novels and fourteen nonfiction titles. His books have received starred reviews in Publisher Weekly Kirkus, Booklist, Book of the Month Selections, ALA Editors Choice Awards Junior Library Guild Selections, Literary Guild Selections, History Book Club Selections, History Book Club Bestsellers, Distinguished Book Award. and optioned for the movies. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today, The Smithsonian Magazine, Daily Mail and other publications and has been featured on NPR All Things Considered. The New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, CSPAN, USA Today, World News Tonight have all covered his books with features. He has two forthcoming books, Capones Vault and Swept Away.
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