Fifth and Final Location: Big Top Restaurant

6348 W. Higgins Ave, Chicago, IL 60630

The old fashioned carnival themed sign grabs your attention from a mile away. It reads, “The Big Top Restaurant… Famous For Our Fountain Creations.” Sitting on a well traveled road for northsiders in Chicago, Big Top restaurant is the neighborhood go-to brunch restaurant. This building is the most contemporary on my guide so it is also the last destination. In 1976 Big Top opened their doors for the first time. The restaurant, open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, provided meals for people any day, any time for 43 years before it’s closing this past spring. During the time in which this building was constructed, the economic and physical state of the neighborhood wasn’t drastically different, therefore many of the urban developments that made this landscape are developments that continue to affect landscapes today. The property is not only on a very busy and central road in the neighborhood, it was also surrounded by a grocery store, gas stations and other establishments. These developments created the perfect environment for this property to inhabit. Everything that surrounded Big Top were sources of customers, hence the success of the building. 

Evidence of this pattern can be seen directly through the surrounding businesses. Since the late 80’s, establishments have multiplied. The more successful businesses there are in one area, the more likely people will continue to depend on those places for their services or products. And while they’re in one establishment they see other appealing businesses, hence the chain in customers.

Since the closing of the restaurant, this will be a very popular development on the market. Given its importance to the community, I can predict it being re-opened and ran the same way under different ownership. But according to the urban processes in this landscape, this property will be remodeled into a “trendy” restaurant. The land is central to the neighborhood, and close to the train station. In addition, like I previously mentioned at Gale Street, gentrification has occurred in many nearby similar neighborhoods. Therefore it is likely that Big Top will be a big step in that direction if bought by the wrong person.