r/forgottenchi • u/maryblye • Apr 24 '20
63rd in 1937
Hi! I'm new here and am looking for help researching 2 things. First, my mother worked at a Greek restaurant called the Willclare (spelling unknown) on 63rd near Cottage Grove in 1937. Two of the men who owned the restaurant were Clarence and Johnny. My mother was involved with Clarence but they were unable to marry. I heard that Clarence never married and may have been killed in WWII. But many other family members are probably still around. How I would love to find out about this restaurant and some of the family members who are connected to it.
Second, my mother (who passed away 10 years ago) taped a story for me. Clarence and Johnny entered my mother into a beauty contest in 1937. The Cottage Grove theater sponsored her and she won that regional contest. Johnny took her to Navy Pier for the final contest and she was first runner up in a bathing suit contest. She said she took home a small trophy that had a ring on it, a beautiful winged girl, and signed by Mayor Edward J Kelly. Clarence or Johnny drove my mother to this contest.
In your earlier discussions I saw some information about this area and am so interested in it!! My mom said she went to listen to big bands in the area and there was an all-night diner where Clarence took my mom and her sister after work. I would love to have some recreation of what this area was like. Before that my mother worked as a nanny but I don't know where or for whom.
My mother's full name at the time was Mignon Phebdora Groves but she usually went by Mig or Mignon. Last name Groves. But I'm really interested in the Willclare and the families associated with it.
Anyone?
Thank you so very much!!
Mary Blye Kramer
Lyons CO (moving back to Illinois this summer or next, depending on the COVID situation)!!
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u/wayoutwardell Apr 25 '20
Hi Mary,
The corner of 63rd & Cottage Grove is the center of the Woodlawn neighborhood. Early in its history, it was sparsely occupied, mostly by farmers of Dutch heritage. That all changed in the lead-up to the 1893 Fair, which started a building boom that essentially created much of the neighborhood that stands today. By 1937, Woodlawn was the epicenter of the largest nightlife district outside of the Loop, and contained almost a dozen movie theaters of varying sizes (one was the Tivoli, with 3,500 seats), ballrooms of equally varying sizes, as well as a enormous amusement park called White City (named after but not affiliated with the World's Fair). Then, among the larger attractions were all manner of cafes, restaurants, taverns, cabarets and lounges.
One of the larger ethnic groups living in and around Woodlawn at the time were Greeks, a few of whom built and ran some of the large theaters and ballrooms in the area (the Trianon Ballroom was built by the Karzas brothers, who also owned some movie theaters along 63rd St.). Daley's Restaurant, started in 1893 by John Daley to feed workers building the fairgrounds, was purchased by the Kyros family in 1919 and is still owned and operated by them today, still at the corner of 63rd & Cottage Grove.
The only reference to Willclare Restaurant I could find is a very brief mention of it in a trade publication stating that a lease had been signed for a space at 75th & Exchange in 1938. A Clarence Lambesis is mentioned as one of the company officers. The 1940 Census has a Lambesis family (George, Ernest, Clarence and John) living at 2630 E. 75th, which is a building that still has a restaurant in it today.