Shuttered Rogers Park Firehouse To Reopen as Café, Event Venue

A café and event space is the winning proposal to repurpose a former Rogers Park firehouse, Department of Planning and Development (DPD) Commissioner Ciere Boatright announced today.

The $3 million project by developer Ryan Cummings will reuse the 111-year-old, City-owned structure at 1721-23 W. Greenleaf Ave. as a 2,000-square-foot coffee house with more than 4,000 square feet of event space and offices on the second level. The proposed purchase price is the building's market value of $350,050.

"This thoughtful proposal will preserve a beautiful building with new uses that reinforce its role as a community anchor while complementing pedestrian-oriented retail activity on nearby Clark Street," Boatright said.

The project was one of five responses to an October 2025 DPD Request for Proposals (RFP) that prioritized the 6,323-square-foot structure's adaptive re-use. Submissions were evaluated based on the proposed concept as well as the development team's financial capacity, relevant experience and overall project feasibility, among other factors.

The project team also includes Michael Salvatore of Chicago-based Heritage Hospitality Group.

The former Engine Co. #102 firehouse served Rogers Park from 1915 to 2009, when operations were relocated to a new facility on north Clark Street. The building has been unoccupied ever since.

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