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Red Lion Pub Set To Reopen Wednesday

By Paul Biasco | July 15, 2014 5:26am
 The Red Lion Pub,  2446 N. Lincoln Ave., will reopen Wednesday.
The Red Lion Pub
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LINCOLN PARK — The storied and beloved Red Lion Pub is set to reopen on Lincoln Avenue Wednesday.

The Red Lion, rebuilt from the ground up by owner Colin Cordwell, resembles a classic English pub with its dark wood tables, book-lined walls and leather couches.

The original building at 2446 N. Lincoln Ave. was built in 1882 and was rumored to be one of the most haunted spots in the city.

Cordwell's father, London-born John Cordwell, bought the former Wild West saloon named Dirty Dan's in 1984 and reopened it as the Red Lion.

The younger Cordwell knocked down the building in 2008 and has been working on rebuilding and reopening the pub ever since.

The new pub will serve a fusion of country French and English fare accompanied by 14 taps of British beers.

The interior of the building, with 22-foot ceilings and a second-floor balcony named the Africa Room, is covered with vintage posters, photographs and rare memorabilia.

The Africa Room, with its plush furniture and fireplace, honors Cordwell's mother, Justine Cordwell, who was an African studies scholar and an expert on Yoruba art and culture.

The front room of the pub, called the Great War Room, honors Cordwell's grandfather, who fought in World War I.

Opening a British pub in Chicago was one of his father's lifelong dreams, according to Colin Cordwell.

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