Harry's gets new owners, will reopen with new name, menu
The popular downtown Arlington Heights restaurant Harry's will soon be under new ownership, a change which is likely to bring a short closure, a new name and an updated menu for the historic spot at 1 N. Vail Ave.
Brothers Brian and Randy Roginski plan to close on the purchase of the building next week and explained their plans for the restaurant to the Arlington Heights committee of the whole on Monday while applying for a liquor license.
The Roginskis, who own and operate several restaurants including Courtland's Garage in Chicago, will keep the restaurant open with its current name and menu through the holidays, but expect to close Harry's for a few months in early 2015.
They plan to renovate the interior of the building, which was first built in 1893, by updating the bathrooms, floors and lighting and then reopen by next summer under the Courtland's Garage name with their menu from the city, said Randy Roginski.
Brian Roginski recently moved to Arlington Heights and will be operating the suburban location full time.
Courtland's menu includes wings, nachos, appetizers, burgers and sandwiches, salads and wraps. The restaurant would serve lunch and dinner seven days a week as well as brunch on weekends. The brothers said prices will be similar to those at Harry's.
The Chicago location was named one of the city's “best bars for grub” by Chicago Magazine in 2013 and their wings and nachos have been featured on shows such as “Chicago's Best” and “190 North,” Roginski said.
Roginski said he is not sure if they will continue the tradition of live entertainment as is done at Harry's, but that he and his brother are open to it.
Harry McCollum, former owner and namesake of Harry's who opened the restaurant in 1993, died in 2011 at age 75. His wife Patricia, who originated many of the items on the menu, died in 2010. McCollum's children have been running the restaurant since his death.
Originally there were plans to build a 1,500-square-foot addition onto Harry's, but that was postponed after the owners' deaths and never happened.
Harry's has a historic place in Arlington Heights with the building dating back more than 120 years It is one of the only downtown Arlington Heights buildings from the 19th century still standing. It was Redecker General Store when it first opened in 1893.
Over the years, the building housed a grocery and a furniture store before playing host to the Turf Pool Hall and Tavern. After the pool hall closed in 1967, the building remained empty until 1972, when the Republican Party used the space for Richard Nixon's local presidential election campaign. It was later the Billy Club restaurant and most recently Harry's of Arlington.
“This is a very historic building for the downtown; it's been here forever,” said Trustee Thomas Glasgow.
The new owners will need to get approval for building permits before any construction can begin.