BRIDGEPORT — A Bridgeport mainstay and the owner of the neighborhood's — and one of the city's — oldest bar has passed away.
Jack Schaller, owner of Schaller's Pump, 3714 S. Halsted St., has died, according to John P. Daley, Bridgeport's representative on the Cook County Board.
Schaller was 92.
He took over his family's beloved bar and restaurant in 1966. Schaller served in the military during World War II and worked at the bar after his service ended.
READ: JACK SCHALLER, LEGENDARY TAVERN OWNER, HITS 90 WITH AN HONOR AND A SMILE
Schaller's, which bills itself as the oldest liquor licensed establishment in the city, was opened by Jack's grandfather in 1881.
The neighborhood celebrated Schaller's accomplishments in 2014, when he celebrated his 90th birthday. Daley, a close friend of Schaller's, at that time authorized a resolution introduced to the country board "wishing him still more years of good health and richly deserved happiness."
Schaller died a little over two years following that resolution.
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of longtime Bridgeport resident and legendary tavern owner Jack Schaller," Daley said in a statement. "He was a dedicated family man, a lifelong White Sox fan and a treasure to his beloved neighborhood of Brideport."
Schaller's is about as traditionally Chicago as any other establishment in the city. Its unfussy decor matches the hearty but cheap meals.
Schaller was profiled by DNAinfo on the cusp of his 90th birthday celebration. At that time, he had been 25 years sober and hadn't smoked in 15, and considered himself in good health.
He said Bridgeport was changing "for the better," but said the no-frills style of Schaller's would never change.
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