Chicago’s oldest bar, a staple on the city’s South Side for more than 100 years, has served its last drink.
Schaller’s Pump in Bridgeport, which first opened 1881, closed its doors Sunday, according to multiple reports.
Calls to the business Monday went unanswered.
It was not immediately clear what prompted the unexpected closure, but as news spread over the weekend, loyal customers flocked to quench their thirst one last time at the place that held so much history.
The iconic watering hole,located at 3714 S. Halsted St., sat across from the 11th Ward Democratic Party Headquarters, bringing elected officials, most notably members of the Daley family, and residents alike to its stools. Its proximity to Guaranteed Rate Field, known as Comiskey Park to many at the time, also made it a go-to for White Sox fans in the city.
The closing follows the death of longtime owner Jack Schaller, who died at age 92 last May, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
According to the publication, Schaller was granted a tax break under the senior citizen assessment freeze and paid nothing in property taxes the last four years of his life. He had qualified for three exemptions under state law, which kept costs manageable.
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But his daughter told the Sun-Times shortly after his death that she expected some of the senior citizen exemptions to be terminated, which could prove costly for the bar.
