Heartland Cafe

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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 center[]

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]

Sale[]

Heartland Cafe's last owner was Tom Rosenfeld, an organic farmer who also operated Earth First Farms in southwest Michigan.[9] Under Rosenfeld's ownership, Heartland was home to a full service natural food grocery store, sit down restaurant and live music venue.

Demise[]

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.[10] A demolition permit for the building was issued on April 15, 2019[11] and demolition began within a week.[12]

External links[]

References[]

  1. ^ Parnell, Sean (July 19, 2008). "Heartland Café & Buffalo Bar: Chicago Bar Project". Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  2. ^ Herman, Jessica. "Heartland Cafe on Centerstage Chicago". Archived from the original on 2008-12-11. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  3. ^ "Heartland Cafe — Chicago, IL 60626 — CitySearch". Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  4. ^ Kennedy, Kerrie. "East Rogers Park". Chicago Free Press. Archived from the original on 2009-08-05. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  5. ^ "Heartland Cafe — Rogers Park — Chicago, IL 60626 / Metromix Chicago". Archived from the original on 2009-01-02. Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  6. ^ "myspace.com — Heartland Cafe". Retrieved 2008-12-03.
  7. ^ Greenwood, Kristopher. "Rogers Park restaurant has put politics front and center for 40 years". RedEye Chicago. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  8. ^ "Live from the Heartland". livefromtheheartland.com. The Heartland. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  9. ^ Vettel, Phil. "Earth First Farms owner buys Heartland Cafe". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  10. ^ Kirsch, Jesse (2018-12-11). "Heartland Café to close in Rogers Park". ABC7 Chicago. Retrieved 2018-12-17.
  11. ^ "Chicago Cityscape - Demolitions Tracker". 2019-04-15. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  12. ^ "A fond goodbye to the Heartland Cafe". Chicago Sun Times. May 1, 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2019.

Coordinates: 42°00′33″N 87°39′59″W / 42.0093°N 87.6665°W / 42.0093; -87.6665

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