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'Schlitz Tavern' Upstairs Available for Rent on Busy Bucktown Corner

By Alisa Hauser | March 18, 2014 9:34am
 A second-floor, 2,000-square-foot retail space is for rent in a former Schlitz-tied tavern in Bucktown.
2000 N. Damen Ave. in Bucktown
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BUCKTOWN —  A medical office at the northwest corner of Armitage and Damen avenues has outgrown its space and, as a result, a rare opportunity to rent the second floor of an 1890s-era "Schlitz Tavern" in Bucktown has become available.

"It is a great corner because of visibility. The building itself has so much character," said David Schraufnagel, a broker with Garrett Realty who is trying to find a new tenant for 2002 N. Damen Ave.

Specializing in women's reproductive health, All Women's Health opened in 2007 and is on a month-to-month lease as it looks for a bigger space, an office receptionist said Monday.

The Armitage-facing facade of the unique two-story building bears a "belted globe" insignia advertising Schlitz beer.

 Milwaukee-based brewery Schlitz built 57 Schlitz-tied tavern houses in Chicago between 1897 and 1905.   No longer uses as a tavern, a building at the northwest corner of Armitage and Damen avenues is currently uses for medical offices.
Milwaukee-based brewery Schlitz built 57 Schlitz-tied tavern houses in Chicago between 1897 and 1905.   No longer uses as a tavern, a building at the northwest corner of Armitage and Damen avenues is currently uses for medical offices.
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DNAinfo/Alisa Hauser

Sometimes painted blue like a globe or, in the case of the Bucktown building, painted over in one color of brown, the insignia dates back to Chicago's 1893 Columbian Exposition where it was first displayed by the Milwaukee-based brewery, according to a 2011 City of Chicago Landmark Commission report.

According to the Landmark Commission's report, Schlitz built 57 saloons in Chicago from 1897 to 1905 at a cost of $328,800.

Mostly located on corners of commercial streets in immigrant working-class neighborhoods, the saloons targeted areas with large concentrations of industrial workers.

Schraufnagel said ideal tenants for the 2,000-square-foot space could include another medical office, or "with modifications" a yoga or pilates studio. 

Schraufnagel said "creative office space" could be a good fit too.

But for those looking to build a bar there, it is off limits, even with the Schlitz logo, as the space is not zoned for a tavern, Schraufnagel said.