LAKEVIEW — It was a harmonious 21 years, but the long-standing restaurant next to Schubas will be singing a different tune come next year.
Harmony Grill, 3159 N. Southport Ave., will be demolished in the next week or so, co-owner Adam Thurston said. In its place, owners hope to create a larger restaurant that will stand on its own, rather than in the shadow of Schubas.
"Harmony Grill was a nice spot to grab a bite to eat before a show, but it was just that," Thurston said Tuesday. "And we want to utilize that space to make a larger, upgraded restaurant."
The new venture will be called Tied House, a name hearkening back to Schubas' earliest days as a public house that was tied to buying its beer from one brewery.
While still in preliminary planning stages, Thurston said Tied House will feature an outside patio and elements that pay homage to the venue's earliest days as a pre-Prohibition public house.
"With some of the other music venues [in Chicago] really stepping up what they're doing on the culinary side, it's great for us to rebrand and elevate what Harmony Grill offered," Thurston said.
The menu will be focused on elevated versions of Midwestern classics, with local beer, wine and cocktail selections, Thurston said.
What it won't have, though, is live music.
"We'll have subtle ties back to the history of Schubas, but from an aesthetic or ambiance point, we want it to stand on its own," Thurston said. "Focus on the food, to the point where if you walk in, you're in a completely different place and wouldn't necessarily know Schubas is next door."
After Thurston's Audiotree bought Schubas and Lincoln Hall in April 2015, Thurston and co-founder Michael Johnston immediately saw room for Harmony Grill to grow — specifically in the parking lot just to its south.
At first, they wanted to put a beer garden in the lot, but it got a lukewarm reception from South Lakeview Neighbors, who feared amplified music from an outdoor patio would impact the houses nearest Schubas at Belmont and Southport avenues.
"Those early meetings with the neighbors were fact-finding missions to see what everyone thought about the idea," Thurston said. He added that Audiotree would likely present its plans for Tied House to neighbors after the demolition.
And although there's no firm timeline in place yet, Thurston said he expects Tied House to open late this year or early next year. To make room, Harmony Grill closed Jan 22.
In 1903, the Milwaukee-based Schlitz Brewery built the detailed, German Renaissance Revival-style structure that became Schubas. So-called "tied houses" were common in the United States in the early 1900s, as breweries would tie in saloons with exclusive contracts.
Featuring two terra cotta Schiltz logos, intricate herringbone patterned brickwork and copper parapets, the historic building became Schubas in 1997.
Schubas was designated a Chicago historic landmark in 2011 as one of 44 remaining Schlitz tied houses.
