Located at 58 West Randolph Street, right in between the Garrick Theater and the Moulin Rouge Nightclub, the Ham n ’Egger was a diner situated on a busy entertainment strip of downtown Chicago. Though the restaurant may only go back to the 1950s (I wasn’t able to find photographs predating this), the building itself has a rich history in the city dating back to the previous century.
The Garrick Theater had several previous names, but began as the Schiller Theater Building, which opened in 1891 on behalf of the German Opera Company. Although it was a multi-purpose building with businesses and offices, its main purpose was to host opera performances and German cultural events (the venue had a capacity of 1,300 people). If you look closely at the Ham n’ Egger photos, just above the restaurant you will see a second story arcade featuring arches and terra cotta busts. Given the roots of the building, each of these busts proudly represented a prominent German artist. When it opened, the Schiller Theater was one of the tallest buildings in the city and a point of civic pride for Chicagoans. We’ll return to the Garrick Theater later, but it was important to mention as the ultimate fate of the Ham n ’Egger was intertwined with the theater/building of which it was a part.
Returning to the ’Egger (they must have called it that for short!) – it was easy to fall in love with this matchbook. The restaurant name is clever and memorable and so perfectly paired with a cartoon-like illustration of a chicken and pig speaking to each other on the telephone. To me it looks as if they are gossiping, possibly about their other farm animal buddies like Mr. Rooster or Miss Cow!
The illustration the opposite side of the matchbook, which I unfortunately could not fit on the shirt, features an invitation to “Visit Ham n’ Egg Heaven” along with an image of a pig in an apron preparing “chicken in the pan” (described as “heaven on earth” so it must have been damn good!). Because of obvious space limitations, the matchbook wasn’t able to describe anything more about this otherworldly meal, but according to the menu “chicken in the pan” was a “1/2 disjoined chicken southern friend to a golden brown” served with “spuds, slaw and toast, coffee or tea.” Oh, and did I mention the price? You get the entire meal/half chicken for $1.35. That’s an even better deal than Costco’s $4.99 full chicken!
The menu itself is exceptionally charming with various images of pigs (flying with wings, playing the trumpet, and doing all kinds of random un-pig like things) in addition to goofy looking chickens smiling and running around. The folksy copy is also fun to read, but what really stood out is the tag "direct from the farm to Chicago" along with a portion of the menu explaining that the restaurant’s butter, ham, bacon, eggs and more were all farm fresh. I assume this was truthful as Illinois is known for its farms and agriculture and coupled with the “country” marketing, I’d imagine that you’d truly feel as if you’re getting the full farm experience while surrounded by the cement & asphalt of downtown Chicago.
Going from the menu to the restaurant’s exterior, the Ham n' Egger signage is probably my favorite of all of the matchbook locations that I’ve gone through so far. Look at all of those bulbs and the neon! Just imagine driving by that, especially at night. It would be impossible to avoid! The signage ties in with the consistent branding of the menu & matchbook featuring the pig and chicken yapping away on the phone along with the slogan “The bite that’s rite mornin’ noon & nite” (although this is included on the sign and menu, but not the matchbook!). I also loved the addition of the "Meet me at" signage just above the “Ham n ’Egger.” It’s simple but brilliant and that’s probably what the pig and chicken were talking about, “hey meet me at the ham and egger!” If you really think about it, in an era of no smart phones and, in general, a lack of universal traditional phone coverage (during the 1950s one third of American households did not have even a single phone), this friendly marketing reminder made it so much easier to meet your friends or a date. Basically, “meet me at” the Ham n ’Egger because it has a bunch of bright lights outside that you aren’t going to miss, they’re always open (24/7) and don’t forget that it’s air-conditioned! That’s a critical point on its own. During the 1950s, air conditioning was still a luxury, one that would become more commonplace during the 1960s. So, on a hot, sweltering Chicago summer day, you had yet another reason to head on over to the Ham n ‘Egger!
Though I am focused on the Chicago location, according to their menu, the Ham n ‘Egger had similar diners in New York City, Jersey City and in Hollywood, California (I was only able to find a photo of the New York spot). The Hollywood ‘Egger was on Vine Street just south of Hollywood Boulevard, amazingly, within walking distance of the Hangover bar! In theory, you could have drunk yourself silly all night at the Hangover and then stumbled into the Ham n ’Egger (open at all hours) for a cup of coffee or a super early morning breakfast of salami & eggs (stacked pancake style) for $0.75!
Additionally, part of my affection for this matchbook is the term “ham & egger” itself. As a child of the 1980s, I adored professional wrestling and especially loved the heels. The greatest heel and manager in professional wrestling history (sorry, it’s no debate!) is and was Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. Not only did he have the greatest stable of talent and champions, aka “The Family,” (Andre the Giant, “Mr. Wonderful” Paul Orndorff, “Big” John Studd, King Kong Bundy, “Mr. Perfect” Curt Henning, and more!) but Heenan was the ultimate fan antagonizer. He played the role of the arrogant, self-important California movie producer-type snob who was simply disgusted to have to be in your Podunk town for a show. He’d arrive at the arena in a black sequin jacket with “Beverly Hills, California” emblazoned on the back hurling nothing but insults at the crowd, which he unaffectionately (but truly affectionately) addressed as “ham and eggers.” Heenan’s comedic timing and constant belittling of the audience along with the perpetual boos that followed him everywhere always made my Saturday mornings. To this day, “ham and egger” is still a common insult among my pro wrestling circle of friends. And, ironically, Heenan was from Chicago (born in 1944), so it is possible that he did visit and was inspired by the Ham n ‘Egger as a kid or teenager! As much as I’d like to give Heenan full credit, the actual origin of the term “ham and egger” comes from the early 1900s and referred to an unskilled worker who would make so little money that he was barely able to afford a ham & egg breakfast (making the restaurant’s name very tongue in cheek). Today, it means “an ordinary person of little consequence” and, as mentioned, is very much a part of the modern professional wrestling vernacular.
Unfortunately, in the end, all things must pass. By the 1930s, the Garrick Theater was older and in decline, and this became even more evident in the ensuing decades. Although I am not exactly sure in which year the Ham n ’Egger opened, it is known when it closed because its fate was directly tied to the building. Despite a lengthy court battle and an outpouring of support from the public to save it, the Garrick Theater was finally demolished in 1961 and along with it the beloved Ham n ’Egger. Although the preservation of the building had failed, the attempt itself was considered an important impetus in Chicago history in terms of future preservation efforts.
And while my focus is the Ham n ‘Egger and not the building itself, I think it’s important to point out an incredible man named Richard Nickel. A Polish architectural photographer and historical preservationist, Nickel fought tooth and nail to protect the Garrick Theater from the wrecking ball. I never know what I am going to find when I research these old restaurants, but one of my favorite vintage photos that I’ve found shows Nickel holding a sign and protesting in front of both the Garrick Theater and the Ham n ’Egger in 1961. But Nickel’s heroics didn’t end there. Despite losing the battle to preserve the building, Nickel (along with several others) was successful in preserving its memory for future generations by photographing it in great detail and saving as much of its beautiful artwork as he could.
Remember those terra cotta busts of German artists on the second floor of the Garrick Theater? Today they live on as part of the street level façade of the "Second City Theater" on Wells Street (just two miles away from their original home). Nickel’s passion for protecting important and relevant buildings is summed up by his quote, “Great architecture has only two natural enemies: water and stupid men.”
So, ultimately, what became of the Ham n ’Egger’s beautiful Garrick Theater location? Sadly and stereotypically, it was turned into a parking lot, but even that’s since changed. Check out this incredible short video by Spirit of Space telling the story of the building and giving you a total time travel experience of what it looked like back then and what its since turned into:
Finally, special thanks to the Building 51 Museum and John Szarkowski for their incredible vintage photos of the Garrick Theater and the Ham n ’Egger.
I truly hope that you enjoyed going down this matchbook rabbit hole and picking up a bit of Chicago history. Let me know your thoughts on social media!
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Till the next matchbook …
