CHICAGO — Schaller's Pump, the oldest restaurant in Chicago, is closing.
The bar and restaurant, 3714 S. Halsted St., got its start in 1881 under family patriarch George Schaller, but Sunday was its final day, according to the Sun-Times. The owners could not immediately be reached for comment.
Veteran Jack Schaller took over the family business in 1966 and served as its owner until his death at 92 last May.
The bar has been a mainstay in South Side Bridgeport for 136 years: It was a favorite watering hole of the Daleys, the site of celebrations after the White Sox won the World Series in 2005 and was once even a speakeasy.
"Shaller's Pump has been a great part of the Bridgeport community serving generations of local residents," said Cook County Board Commissioner John Daley in a statement.
Daley wrote a resolution to honor Schaller on his 90th birthday in 2014. "I'm grateful for all the wonderful moments shared over the years at this historic Chicago bar," said Daley, a member of the city's famed Daley political family that was based in Bridgeport.
