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]

Heartland Cafe

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]

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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.

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