Zum Deutschen Eck, Chicago
During his half-century near Southport Avenue, Zum Deutschen Ecketched a place as important in local history as street signs proclaim his block Zum Deutschen Eck Strasse.
The restaurant, whose name means the German corner, was the backdrop for many residents of personal milestones - more than 750 birthdays, weddings, 3000 and 1100, the funeral by the Earl of owner Al Wirth Jr.
He was also part of the political landscape, neighborhood institution where the Chamber of Commerce Lakeview took the mayor for lunch and where US Rep Rod Blagojevich met his wife, Patti, at a fundraiser organized by his 1988 father, Richard Mell 33rd Ald.
With its Bavarian-style buildings, homemade strudels and alpine hats souvenirs May 95 included a liquor shot, Zum Deutschen Eck was one of a dwindling number of reminders of German heritage Lakeview And was one of the last survivors of a generation of Lakeview companies have tended to more than butchers shops.
Wirth said he closed the restaurant sharply this month because he simply wanted to retire, but as a developer is preparing to convert into condominiums German Corner, the changing face 2924 N Southport Ave seems a reflection of the evolution the Times.
It's just another leaf falling from the tree, to the ancient cultural identity Lakeview is concerned and calls just a little in mind that it is changing, said Tim Samuelson, the curator of architecture Chicago Historical Society.
When the late Al Wirth Sr. Opened Zum Deutschen Eck in 1956, following World War II, Chicago was in the middle of the last influx of Germans.
It is all immigrants gathered, said Gerhard Beinhauer, who came in 1956 Especially in our early years, we did not know the language, so we kind of hung around this place.
It was there he met his wife, Irma, when she was Waitress What he married in 1961, was there and he was there, his son Richard was married in 1990.
And this was the elder man January 9 to celebrate the anniversaries of Al Wirth Jr. And his mother, Florence, and was amazed when the owner announced that it was the last night Zum Deutschen Eck.
It is a bit sad, it's like an age ends, Beinhauer said to the neighborhood has changed, this place has always remained the same, in a sense actually always changing - Wirth said each of the six rooms has been awarded nine at least seven times the intensive meat menu has grown to include vegetarian dishes but the weekend still sing alongs included German sauerbraten tunes and even marinated in wooden barrels.
Yet in recent months, two key employees and longtime decided to retire, Wirth said he was getting tired of 12-hour days and seven-day weeks so he went along, he said, when developer Patrick Gibbons approached last month with a preliminary plan for a tower condo three floors with parking.
I wanted our history and reputation to stay on top of where it was, says Wirth, a self-proclaimed perfectionist.
He also wanted to live up to his favorite saying, translated from German Many people may say a man is very lucky, but they do not say that he worked for it.
Zum Deutschen Eck Leaves With A Whisper, deutschen.