February 12, 2014 – Lawry’s Restaurants is opening what it calls “a relaxed, sophisticated American-style gastro pub” in River North. They did not have to go far to find a location for the new restaurant. The aptly named “SideDoor” is on the Rush Street side of their building at Rush and Ontario Streets.

Lawry’s has occupied the building since 1974. Before that, it was a restaurant called Shipwreck Kelly’s. Before that, it was a Fred Harvey’s. Before that, it was a Danish restaurant named Kungsholm – and that is where the opera house was located.

At least, opera performed by puppets.

(Above) Orchestra and stage during a performance of The Kungsholm Miniature Grand Opera Theatre.

Taking up a wing of the restaurant, The Kungsholm Miniature Grand Opera Theatre was a scale model of the Royal Opera House in Stockholm. It included an orchestra pit in which puppets held various tiny instruments and were led by a puppet conductor. It took 14 people to help the puppets perform entire operas.

The theater opened in 1942. Fred Harvey’s kept it going until the late 1960s. Originally, the building was a mansion owned by Chicago’s McCormick family.

A spokesperson for SideDoor says the restaurant is “softly open” for now. A jazz trio will perform at the grand opening on February 18. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and free beer samples will be served.

The restaurant/bar will feature “hand-carved roasted meats” such as prime rib, sirloin, and turkey, according to a recent news release, as well as pastrami and a seven-ounce cheeseburger.

Oak Park’s Aria Group Architects was hired, says the restaurant, “to transform a formal turn-of-the-century dining room and bar into a unique space informed by a genuinely eclectic and original design aesthetic.” (Left) Lawry’s building at intersection of Rush and Ontario Streets.

Learn more…

• SideDoor Chicago
• Kungsholm Memories: Puppet Opera in Chicago

• The Kungsholm Miniature Grand Opera Theatre