Friday, December 11, 2015

Flashback Friday -- Clark and Winnemac

Costa d'Oro restaurant, circa 1990 (image from Chicago Public Library Sulzer collection)



From grocery to bar to restaurant to bar to restaurant, the building at 5025 North Clark has had a presence in Uptown since it was built in 1922. Now after a year-long makeover, it's home to Cantina 1910.

We've only gotten a few brief glances at what it's hosted over the past 93 years:
  • In 1928, it was a grocery store
  • By 1942, it was presumably empty, and the Trumbull School Parent-Teacher Association used the space for a huge rummage sale, the proceeds of which were used "to further the work of agencies connected with children's welfare."
  • In 1955, it was a tavern, and its owner/bartender went to trial on charges that he was selling post office jobs. He was acquitted.
  • At some point, it became Costa d'Oro Italian restaurant, which was still going strong in 1990, when the photo above was taken.
  • Sometime around 1994, Julie Mai's LeBistro, with French/Vietnamese cuisine, opened when Ms. Mai and her husband bought the building. They remained the owners until recently.
  • Around 2001, T's Bar, which many remember fondly, opened in the space.
  • In 2013, T's closed due to non-payment of rent, and the group that owned Crew and SoFo Tap purchased the building. According to DNAinfo, the building was in "dismal condition" and required a long reconstruction to get it up to par. Cantina 1910 (at one time slated to be called Cantina de la Granja) opened there earlier this year.

3 comments:

  1. Let's not forget that it was Julie Mai's between Costa D'Oro and T's.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love posts like these! I remember T’s but couldn’t remember where it was! Love the history lesson

    ReplyDelete