Quinn sets meeting on New Warsaw future

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Public invited to hear plans, offer opinions

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By Tim Hadac

Clearing residents interested in the future of the shuttered New Warsaw Restaurant & Banquets property, 6250 W. 63^rd St., are invited to attend the CAPS Beat 812 meeting set for 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 14 at the Clearing Branch Library, 6423 W. 63^rd Place.

According to 13^th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn, a representative of the new owner of the property will be on hand to make an introduction and discuss plans for the site.

13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn

“As always, I think it’s important for business owners who want to set up shop in the neighborhood to start off by introducing themselves and talk about what they’d like to do,” Quinn said last week. “It’s also important, I think, for neighbors to have an opportunity to give their input on what kind of businesses they want in the community.”

New Warsaw had been open for years, but business seemed to be in a long, slow decline and was damaged greatly by the pandemic, as many others were. It closed in 2023.

Old-timers in the neighborhood may remember the site under its name in the 1960s and early 1970s: Margo’s Mansion, also a restaurant and banquet hall. Later that decade, it was known as the Velvet Coachman restaurant and then the New Golden Ox South.

It is said that the property’s new owner also owns banquet halls at 3810 W. 63^rd St. (Banquetes La Gloria 63, formerly Royalty East Banquet Hall) and 4152 W. 47^th St. (La Gloria Banquet Hall, formerly The Manor on 47^th).

A Clear-Ridge Reporter & NewsHound request for comment from the new owner went unanswered late last week.

The alderman added that Chicago Lawn (8^th) District Police Bryan Spreyne is expected to be at the Feb. 14 meeting, possibly to weigh in with any concerns he might have.

Over the years, Quinn has built a reputation for tightly managing what occurs (and does not) on business strips in the 13^th Ward, typically in close consultation with neighbors in the adjacent residential areas. Quinn’s actions convinced the new owner to attend the Feb. 14 meeting.

The New Warsaw Restaurant & Banquets closed in 2023. In recent weeks, neighbors have seen work crews going in and out of the facility. –Photo by Cosmo Hadac

Opinion in the area was mixed late last week.

“God, I hope [the New Warsaw] doesn’t become some kind of nightclub,” said one Clearing resident, who asked that her name not be disclosed. “I think we have enough problems with the summertime drag racing and drifting on 63^rd Street. I think a nightclub or anything like it could be a magnet for gangs and other trouble.”

Javier Perez-Machado said he welcomes “any guy who wants to come in and make a banquet hall, but only if he puts a lot of money into it. New Warsaw was a dump. The place was going down for years. Either the old owners didn’t give a damn about keeping the place up—or they did, but just didn’t have the money. A new banquet hall will bring jobs to the community.”

Theresa Michals said another banquet hall “would be a concern. All too often, these people at parties aren’t from the neighborhood. Plus, they’re getting drunk and whatnot. I worry that a banquet hall’s problems could spill over into Hale Park (immediately north of the New Warsaw site).

“I think ideally, we’d have a family-style restaurant go in there,” she continued. “With the shutdown of Southern Belle’s (in nearby Bedford Park), you’ve got a lot of their customers looking for a breakfast-lunch place. So maybe a new restaurant go in there; or maybe an existing place looking for more seating and better parking, like Stunod’s or Café 63, could go there.”

Clearing Night Force neighborhood watch President Judy Ollry said, “I’m happy that the new owner will be at the next CAPS Beat 812 to discuss their plans. I like the idea of new businesses presenting to the community either through a CAPS meeting or through the Chamber of Commerce. I think it’s equally important for the Chamber to have input on incoming businesses. I also think the neighborhood watch group would benefit by knowing contacts for the businesses that have liquor licenses and large group facilities.”