PILSEN — Another space in the historic Thalia Hall is set to open to the public this week.
The team behind Dusek's Board & Beer and Punch House are now opening Tack Room, a new piano bar and cocktail lounge at 1227 W. 18th St. in Pilsen. The piano saloon with a "punk-rock riff" will officially open to the public at 9 p.m. Friday.
The 1,200-square-foot lounge, which has recently been restored by 16 On Center, is in the former carriage house where Thalia Hall's original proprietor John Dusek kept his horses 100 years ago.
As a subtle nod to the building's history, a Western theme influences the Tack Room's decor. A separate space that opens off of Dusek's, the new spot features its own patio seating on South Allport.
Tack Room, a new piano bar in Thalia Hall, opens to the public Friday in Pilsen. [Thalia Hall/Steve Scap]
Tack Room, a new piano bar in Thalia Hall, will feature a rotating list of performers. [Thalia Hall/Steve Scap]
Tack Room features patio seating on South Allport in Pilsen. [Thalia Hall/Steve Scap]
The piano bar's drink menu includes crushed-ice mint juleps, draught sherry cobblers and a $5 beer and a shot special. A select list of snacks and meals available at Dusek's are available for order in the Tack Room and a rotating list of piano performers is online.
Available for private rental, Tack Room is open 7 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Due to the high number of previously scheduled private parties, hours of operation may fluctuate.
Tack Room's Western decor is a nod to the past — the space originally served as a carriage house a century ago. [Thalia Hall/Steve Scap]
Citing neighborhood demand, Dusek's owners announced earlier this month that the restaurant will now open for lunch.
In 2013, owners Bruce Finkelman and Craig Golden worked to restore the Thalia Hall building into a theater and mixed-use development. The re-opened venue hosted its first show in May 2014.
Today the building houses Thalia Hall's namesake theater; Dusek's Board and Beer restaurant; Punch House, a basement bar; Modern Cooperative, a reclaimed furniture and vintage store; and Belli's Juicebar.
Opened by John Dusek in 1892 as one of the most the most ornate theaters of its time, Thalia Hall's theater had been closed to the public since the 1960s. The theater was designated an official landmark in the 1980s.
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