![]() ![]() The bar area features a long wooden bar constructed partly of glass blocks that runs most of the length of the north wall and is lined with high-backed, padded metal barstools. The trolley was replaced by the Damen Avenue bus.”Īs you pass through the wooden door of Fireside, you’ll find the dining room to your left and the bar to your right. The street was eventually paved with bricks and a trolley terminated just before the Rosehill Cemetery East Gate. The elevation of the tracks changed the view from the front windows to a hill of prairie grass and scrub trees. “Early photos show an unpaved street and, prior to 1906, the Chicago and North Western tracks at ground level. As a side note, one-time general manager Bob Jones opened up Fireside Restaurant in Beverly on the South Side in 1996, which has since closed. The place was once again sold in 1983 to Maggie Harper and then to Larry Staggs and Rich Wohn in 1989, who added the beer garden and expanded the food & drinks menu. Peter Eberhardt sold his business in 1943 to the McLaughlin family, who then sold it until 1971 to Joe Linoinni. The original wooden siding has been stuccoed over in the English Tudor style and the space between has been transformed into the pub’s entrance. What is now a single structure was originally built as twin buildings with a breezeway in-between. According to the Edgewater Historical Society, the Fireside has continuously operated as a tavern since 1904 and was built by the original owner, Peter Eberhardt. What more could you want from one of the oldest continuously operating taverns in Chicago?įireside is located on the east side of Ravenswood Avenue, up the street from Ravenswood Pub and just south of Rosehill Cemetery on Rosehill Drive. Fireside also serves an impressive selection of brew and a Bloody Mary bar for brunch on weekends, and is one of the few taverns in the area with a late-night license and a kitchen open until just before close. Today, the off-the-beaten-path Fireside serves a long and Cajun-accented menu, highlighted by ribs and pizza, within the friendly confines of their spacious outdoor beer garden and by the actual fireside in the dining room. The original tavern once served traveling farmers and mourners alike, even offering accommodations. We wish to take this opportunity to thank you for your patronage and look forward to serving you for many more years.Long before the elevated Metra tracks were laid across the street, before Edgewater existed as a neighborhood and even before Pop Morris’ Green Mill Gardens, the roadhouse now known as the Fireside Restaurant & Lounge has stood across from historic Rosehill Cemetery for more than a century. ![]() This philosophy is still practiced today where the goal of the Fireside is to consistently offer the best value and quality of service and food at reasonable prices. ![]() The success that Tom and his family have achieved is built on the same principles his grandfather brought with him to this country: hard work, honesty, and fairness to others. With the support and help of his family, Tom has expanded the business to include a new moderately priced Restaurant and Pub, still maintaining the family neighborhood atmosphere. In 1973, the third generation entered the business, under the management of Tom Swerchesky. With father and son working together, the Fireside continued to be a friendly neighborhood spot to gather and socialize. For many years this neighborhood tavern and clam stand was a favorite spot to catch up on world affairs and local gossip.Ī few years later, Joseph and Julia Swerchesky bought out the Robinson partnership and the Fireside truly became a family business. On May 3, 1956, Stanley and Mary Swerchesky, in partnership with Paul and Norma Robinson, purchased the original Fireside Restaurant. Settling in Pelham, New Hampshire, they purchased a small dairy farm, where they worked long and hard for many years. In 1915, the Swercheskys, like so many other European families, left their native homeland to travel to America. ![]()
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