Yesterday evening, Chicagoist reported that Pontiac would serve up its final beer next weekend, which immediately made me wonder who would take over the supreme location. A call to Pontiac owner Buddy Eggert confirmed that, yes, Pontiac has been sold (a going-away party of sorts will take place the 17th through 19th, with live band karaoke on Friday, redneck bingo on Sunday and "surprise guests" on Saturday). With a bit of prying I was also able to confirm my lurking suspicions that Donnie Madia and crew have bought the property. Yes, that Donnie Madia, he of Avec, Blackbird and the Publican (which, by the way, passed inspections today and will open this Thursday).
Blackbird co-owner Rick Diarmit is Eggert’s nephew, so I reached out to Diarmit about just what’s going on with Uncle Buddy’s place. He confirmed that Madia and Terry Alexander have purchased the Pontiac, but that he himself is not involved. So will it be a swank cocktail club, a small plates spot, a sparse fine dining den, a Belgian beer hall or a completely different home run for the team? Alexander himself had little to say, deflecting the inquiry with “Right now, we’re really just focused on the Publican.”
Madia was similarly operating in an "Uh, what? What day is this? Who am I?" mode, so since the crew is running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to get the place open, let’s cut them a little slack and start pestering about The Pontiac Project in a month or two. For now, talk amongst yourselves. If any of you can call what the concept will be, we have a free subscription with your name on it once we get confirmation of the plans.
Photo via Flickr user thegrocer. More on thegrocer and other public artists here.
And JUST ADDED…. The Artist Formally Known as Vince (with the Right Tideys) THURSDAY NIGHT!
Sad to see Pontiac Cafe leave the neighborhood but good to know that such a great space will be in good hands. Just hope the new owners embrace just a bit of the quirkiness, ummm that would not include the bathrooms, that made Pontiac a great gathering spot for a diverse group of people.
Whatever Donnie does will only make The Pontiac better. He is the KING of Chicago dining
Here’s to hoping they don’t repurpose the large outside patio away from being a venue for all day outdoor drinking.
Just hoping they replace the bathrooms…
this place has been a staple of a neighborhood that has turned over. it has barely hung on for the last several years, and what with rich people (who never appreciated a full day of drinking) it never had a chance. without all the quirky people were forced to move out of the neighborhood, he never got as many people just stopping in. I remember going there when there was not a seat to be had, and people would wait, and fight over tables just to get to hang out there. wicker park still has some other good things, (mypoic, quimby’s, sultan’s, and of course violet hour) but I think that so many of us identified with the punk rock feel of the pontiac. the new neighbors do not feel the same.
so, now i have to finally accept the process of gentrification. it happens. get used to it. hang out in logan square, which is not quite the same, but maria at the whirlaway will sell you a cheap beer, and feed you pizza while you watch the presidential debates.
According to a very reliable source, The Publican will be open TONIGHT [Wednesday, October 8].
Go. And don’t tell anybody.
As for purposes of maintaining an accurate gentrification time line, I believe this place was a produce market in the mid-90s, so one could date the neighborhood turnover to some time before it became a hotspot for beer-guzzling city dwellers and their lovable pooches.
Pontiac Cafe is celebrating its 15th anniversary… but it’s possible there could have been a miscount.
who cares when ‘the publican’ opens. none of the people that go to pontiac are ever going to go there. its just really sad that this is happening to our neighborhood. i know double door is next on the list. enjoy all the sports bars everyone.
Ironic, with the economy in the shitter for what looks like the next 5 years or so, the Pontiac would have flourished mightily (had they lowered the beer prices a bit to compensate for not reinvesting it into the bar/bathrooms). I’m sure that whatever they put in there will be hip/cool for a few months - that is, until the 12% unemployment rate kicks in by the middle of next year…