{"id":788103,"date":"2026-05-11T05:33:16","date_gmt":"2026-05-11T05:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/788103\/"},"modified":"2026-05-11T05:33:16","modified_gmt":"2026-05-11T05:33:16","slug":"jims-original-leaving-maxwell-street-area-after-87-years-moving-to-pilsen-due-to-uic-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/788103\/","title":{"rendered":"Jim’s Original Leaving Maxwell Street Area After 87 Years, Moving To Pilsen Due To UIC Development"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEAR WEST SIDE \u2014 A famous street food stand that\u2019s called the Maxwell Street area home since 1939 is moving to Pilsen to make way for a new University of Illinois Chicago development.<\/p>\n

Jim\u2019s Original must vacate its location at 1250 S. Union Ave. by June 30, the iconic restaurant announced on social media Friday. <\/p>\n

The restaurant, which is known for popularizing the Maxwell Street Polish sausage and the pork chop sandwich, will move to 551 W. 18th St. this fall, the business announced. <\/p>\n

The move will end a nearly 90-year run for the restaurant in the Maxwell Street area. Opened in 1939, the street food staple called the corner of Halsted and Maxwell streets home for over 60 years, anchoring a Maxwell Street neighborhood that was a hub for immigrants and home to a famous outdoor market. <\/p>\n

It was at the Maxwell Street location where Jim\u2019s Original pioneered the Polish sausage and pork chop sandwich and developed its signature sweet grilled onions and mustard toppings.<\/p>\n

Jim\u2019s Original moved from the corner in 2001 due to the University of Illinois Chicago\u2019s expansion and redevelopment of the Maxwell Street area, according to its website. It then moved roughly a block north to its current Union Street location in 2005.<\/p>\n

\"\"Jim\u2019s Original is moving to a new location in Pilsen in late 2026. Credit: Facebook\/Jim’s Original<\/p>\n

The university, which is Jim\u2019s Original\u2019s landlord, is planning to redevelop the restaurant property, according to the business. It is unclear what plans are in stpre for the location. University of Illinois Chicago could not immediately be reached for comment Sunday. <\/p>\n

In 2021, the university told the restaurant it had to reduce its 24-hours business model close at 1 a.m. to deter crime around the campus, according to the Sun-Times<\/a>. <\/p>\n

Jim\u2019s Original is hoping to extend its time on Union Avenue \u201cfor several more years\u201d while also moving forward with plans to open on 18th Street, the business said on Facebook. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhile it\u2019s bittersweet, we\u2019re looking forward to what\u2019s next and building a great new permanent home for Jim\u2019s Original,\u201d management wrote. <\/p>\n

A rendering of the new location shows the business as advertising a return to being open 24 hours. Jim\u2019s Original is taking over the space previously occupied to Ken Tone\u2019s Drive-In, a diner that opened in 1968 but closed in recent years. <\/p>\n

\u201cThank you for showing up, spreading the word, and making Jim\u2019s Original part of your story \u2014 we\u2019ll keep the grills going and we can\u2019t wait to keep serving you at our next home,\u201d management wrote on Facebook. <\/p>\n

Support Freedom of the Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

Independent journalism like this only exists because of readers like you.<\/strong> This World Press Freedom Day, help Block Club raise $20,000<\/strong><\/a> to fuel high-impact investigations that hold Chicago\u2019s institutions and leaders accountable. Make your tax-deductible donation here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEAR WEST SIDE \u2014 A famous street food stand that\u2019s called the Maxwell Street area home since 1939…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":788104,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5124],"tags":[960,5386,1818],"class_list":{"0":"post-788103","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago","8":"tag-chicago","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-illinois"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116554315122001100","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=788103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/788103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/788104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=788103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=788103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=788103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}