Heartland Cafe
The Heartland Cafe was a restaurant in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago. Originally opened in 1976 by two activists as the "Sweet Home Chicago Heartland Café," it became a cultural icon for the diverse neighborhood,[1] known as much for its hippie ambience and left-leaning politics as for its largely (but not exclusively) vegetarian food.[2][3]
Political and social center[edit]
Part of a complex of buildings that also contained a theatre studio, an adjoining music venue, and a newsstand and general store within the restaurant itself, the restaurant was routinely referred to as an "institution" and a social and political center of the neighborhood.[4][5][6] Politicians ranging from local candidates to Barack Obama held rallies and events at the Heartland creating a long history of political activism and served as a civic forum for Rogers Park and Chicago.[7] A radio show, Live from the Heartland, hosted in-part by the cafe's original founders, Katy Hogan and Michael James, was broadcast live every Saturday on WLUW (88.7FM) from the dining room while customers ate.[8] The adjoining Roy's Red Line Tap known for its cheap drinks and pool tables, run by Roy Kawaguchi until 1996, became part of the Heartland Cafe institutional mix as the Redline Tap and music venue.[9]
Sale[edit]
Heartland Cafe's last owner was Tom Rosenfeld, an organic farmer who also operated Earth First Farms in southwest Michigan.[10] Under Rosenfeld's ownership, Heartland was home to a full service natural food grocery store, sit down restaurant and live music venue.
Demise[edit]
Plans to sell the building and close the business were announced and the restaurant closed on December 31, 2018. The owners hope to reopen in a new location in the future.[11] A demolition permit for the building was issued on April 15, 2019[12] and demolition began within a week.[13]
References[edit]
- ^ Parnell, Sean (July 19, 2008). "Heartland Café & Buffalo Bar". Chicago Bar Project. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ^ Herman, Jessica. "Heartland Cafe on Centerstage Chicago". Archived from the original on December 11, 2008. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ^ "Heartland Cafe — Chicago, IL 60626". CitySearch. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ^ Kennedy, Kerrie. "East Rogers Park". Chicago Free Press. Archived from the original on August 5, 2009. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ^ "Heartland Cafe — Rogers Park — Chicago, IL 60626". Metromix Chicago. Archived from the original on January 2, 2009. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ^ "Heartland Cafe". MySpace. Retrieved December 3, 2008.
- ^ Greenwood, Kristopher. "Rogers Park restaurant has put politics front and center for 40 years". RedEye Chicago. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ "Live from the Heartland". livefromtheheartland.com. The Heartland. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ "RedLine Tap". Archived from the original on October 17, 2014.
- ^ Vettel, Phil (August 10, 2012). "Earth First Farms owner buys Heartland Cafe". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
- ^ Kirsch, Jesse (December 11, 2018). "Heartland Café to close in Rogers Park". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- ^ "Demolitions Tracker". Chicago Cityscape. April 15, 2019. Retrieved April 18, 2019.
- ^ "A fond goodbye to the Heartland Cafe". Chicago Sun Times. May 1, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2019.
External links[edit]
- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived January 13, 2018)