>> THE OLD WORLD MEETS THE NEW
AT A LEGENDARY CICERO RESTAURANT
THAT SERVED AS AN ANCHOR FOR
CHICAGO'S CZECH COMMUNITY AND
NOW ITS LEGACY IS UNDER THREAT.
GEOFFREY BAER JOINS US WITH THE
STORY OF THE KLAS RESTAURANT IN
THIS WEEK'S "ASK GEOFFREY".
WELCOME BACK GEOFFREY, GOOD TO
BE WITH YOU.
>> GREAT TO BE WITH YOU, TOO,
AMANDA.
>> I KNOW YOU ARE HUNGRY TO
ANSWER IT THE QUESTION.
THE VIEWER ASKS...
>> RIGHT.
UNIQUE THAT IS TRULY THE RIGHT
WORD TO DESCRIBE THE KLAS
RESTAURANT.
YOU WILL SEE WHAT I'M TALKING
ABOUT IN A MINUTE.
IT IS STILL STANDING AT LEAST
FOR THE MOMENT IN WEST IS YOUR
BAN CICERO ON CERMAK ROAD.
LET'S SEE WHAT THE PLACE LOOKS
LIKE.
IF YOU ARE HUNGRY YOU ARE OUT OF
LUCK IT IS A SHUTTERED
RESTAURANT.
YOU CANNOT MISS THE BUILDING'S
GABLED ROOF AND OLD WORLD
CHARACTER.
NOTICE THE COATS OF ARMS AND
BELLS AND STATUES ON THE
PHENOMENA SAID IT --
FACADE LIKE YOU A EUROPE
VILLAGE.
AND A SIGNATURE HIGHLIGHT ARE
THE MURALS IN ROOMS WHICH DEPICT
DIFFERENT STORIES AND THEMES.
SOME LOST BUT OTHERS SURVIVE
UNDER LAYERS OF VARNISH.
LIKE THESE FROM THE RUSSIAN ROOM
PAINTED BY A LOCAL ARTIST
GENNADI GORDEJEV DURING THE
DEPRESSION.
AND THE RESTAURANT IS BOARDED
UP.
BUT WE GOT THE PHOTOS FROM THE
ARTIST'S GRANDDAUGHTER.
THE RESTAURANT'S ORIGINS DATE
BACK TO 1922 WHEN A CZECH
IMMIGRANT NAMED ADOLF KLAS
OPENED A TINY OPERATION ON THE
SITE SIX TABLES 18 LUNCH
COUNTER.
KLAS SERVED CZECH STAPLES LIKE
CHICKEN PAPRIKASH AND DUMPLINGS
AND THAT CZECH BEER.
OVER THE DECADES THE BUSINESS
AND THE BUILDING GREW.
EVENTUALLY HOLDING AS MANY AS
350 PEOPLE IN THE BANQUET ROOMS
AND BARS.
AFTER Mr. KLAS DIED IN 1962,
VARIOUS OWNERS KEPT THE BUSINESS
GOING AND THE RESTAURANT BECAME
A MUST VISIT FOR CZECH AND
CHECK-AMERICAN CELEBRITIES,
DIGNITARIES LIKE FORMER U.S.
SECRETARY OF STATE MADELEINE
ALBRIGHT AND A WIDE RANGE OF
MUSICIANS WHO WOULD PERFORM
THERE.
KLAS CLOSED IN 2016 MOSTLY FOR
FINANCIAL AND OPERATIONAL
REASONS.
ALTHOUGH MANY HOPE THE DOORS ARE
NOT CLOSED FOR THE LAST TIME AND
WE WILL HAVE MORE ON THAT IN
JUST A MOMENT.
>> I THINK I KNOW SOMEBODY WHO
VISITED AND PARTIED IN ONE OF
THOSE BANQUET ROOMS MY BEST
FRIEND'S GRANDFATHER CELEBRATED
A BIRTHDAY ONCE AND CHICAGO HAS
A RICH HISTORY OF CZECH
COMMUNITIES CALLING CHICAGO
HOME?
>> THAT IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.
THE FIRST WAVE OF CZECH OR
BOHEMIAN IMMIGRANTS STARTED OUT
SETTLING IN PILSEN ON CHICAGO'S
LOWER WEST SIDE.
THIS IS BEFORE IT WAS A MEXICAN
AMERICAN NEIGHBORHOOD THIS WAS
IN THE LATE 1800'S AND THE
NEIGHBORHOOD GETS ITS NAME FROM
THE CZECH CITY OF PLZEN WHERE
PILSNER BEER ORIGINATED.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE BAROQUE
ARCHITECTURE THAT THE CZECH
RESIDENTS BUILT OVER THE
NEIGHBORHOOD AND IN LAWNDALE.
EVENTLY MANY WHO COULD AFFORD TO
LEAVE THE CITY MOVED WEST TO
CICERO AND BERWYN.
A DRAW TO CICERO WAS THE
HAWTHORNE WORKS WESTERN ELECTRIC
PLANT WHICH EMPLOYED MANY CZECH
IMMIGRANTS AND FAMILIES WHO MADE
AMERICA'S FIRST TELEPHONE
TELEPHONES A CONNECTING LINE
LITERALLY THAT RUNS THROUGH ALL
THE COMMUNITIES WE'RE TALKING
ABOUT HERE IS 22nd STREET
WHICH NOW IS KNOWN AS SURMAC
ROAD.
AND IT'S NAMED FOR MAYOR ANTON
SURMAC CERMAK, WHO WAS A CZECH
IMMIGRANT.
HE SERVED TWO YEARS IN OFFICE IN
THE EARLY 1930s BECAUSE OF HIS
UNTIMELY DEATH.
CERMAK WAS SHOT AND KILLED IN
MIAMI, FLORIDA WHILE APPEARING
WITH PRESIDENT-ELECT FRANKLIN
ROOSEVELT AND THE ASSASSIN WAS
AIMING FOR FDR BUT MISSED.
HE SUPPOSEDLY SAID TO ROOSEVELT
I'M GLAD IT WAS ME INSTEAD OF
YOU IS THE QUOTE.
THE VERACITY OF QUOTE HAS BEEN
QUESTIONED BUT IT'S INSCRIBED ON
THE WALL OF CERMAK'S CRYPT IN
THE NATIONAL CEMETERY.
>> ANYTIME WE CAN GET CHICAGO
POLITICAL HISTORY WORKED INTO
THIS.
BACK TO THE KLAS RESTAURANT, YOU
MENTIONED THAT IT IS CURRENTLY
UNOCCUPIED NOT IN GREAT SHAPE
AND NOT SERVING UP CZECH FOODS.
WHAT IS THE FUTURE?
>> I DIGRESS GETTING BACK TO THE
QUESTION SINCE ITS CLOSURE IN
2016, THE RESTAURANT HAS
UNFORTUNATELY FALLEN INTO
DISREPAIR.
BUT A COALITION OF CZECH
RESIDENTS AND CZECH GROUPS AND
LOCAL RESIDENTS STATED THEY HAVE
A TENTATIVE DEAL TO BUY AND
RESTORE THE BUILDING HERE IS THE
CATCH...
THEY HAVE TO RAISE HALF A
MILLION DOLLARS BY OCTOBER AND
THEN QUITE A BIT MORE FOR THE
RESTORATION WHICH THEY ARE
TRYING TO RAISE THROUGH A
"GOFUNDME" PAGE CAMPAIGN.
THE GOAL IS TO TURN THE BUILDING
INTO A MUSEUM OF CZECH HISTORY
AS WELL AS A BAR WHERE YOU CAN
GET THAT CZECH BEER AND EVENT
SPACE.
THEY ALSO HOPE TO USE IT AS A
RESOURCE CENTER FOR THE LARGELY
LATINO COMMUNITY IN CICERO.
ONE ORGANIZER HOPES THEY CAN
HELP PEOPLE NAVIGATE LEGAL AND
IMMIGRATION ISSUES AND LANGUAGE
SERVICES AND OTHER THINGS BUT IT
ALL DEPENDS WHETHER THAT MONEY
CAN BE RAISED.
>> TRUE.
POTENTIAL BOHEMIAN VIBE GOING
FORWARD.
THANK YOU.
>> MY PLEASURE.
>> AND YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE
FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT THE KLAS
RESTAURANT AND THEIR FUNDRAISING