Description
- ✦ 100% chino cotton twill
- ✦ Green Camo color is 35% chino cotton twill, 65% polyester
- ✦ Unstructured, 6-panel, low-profile
- ✦ 6 embroidered eyelets
- ✦ 3 ⅛” (7.6 cm) crown
- ✦ Adjustable strap with antique buckle
- ✦ Blank product sourced from Vietnam or Bangladesh
- ✦ This product is made on demand. No minimums.
Schulien’s Restaurant: Where Chicago Bar Magic Was Born
From German Tavern to Magic Institution (1886-1999)
When Joseph Schulien, a German immigrant who arrived shortly after the Great Fire, opened his saloon in 1886, he couldn’t have imagined his family business would revolutionize American entertainment. For 113 years, Schulien’s Restaurant at 1800 N. Halsted Street (later 2100 W. Irving Park) wasn’t just serving sauerbraten—it was inventing Chicago-style magic, the intimate tableside sleight-of-hand that turned dinner into theater.
Matt Schulien: The 320-Pound Pioneer
Matt Schulien learned card tricks in the early 1900s—some say from Harry Blackstone Sr. himself, others claim from an old-timer at his father’s saloon. Joseph initially forbade the practice, but Matt snuck performances when his father wasn’t watching. His signature “card to wall” routine became legendary: he’d throw an entire deck at the wall, leaving only your chosen card stuck there with a thumbtack that materialized from nowhere. At 320 pounds with a cigar perpetually dangling from his mouth, Matt used his imposing presence to conceal cards in ways other magicians couldn’t imagine. During Prohibition, he ran a speakeasy in the basement, adding another layer of Chicago brass to the family legacy.
The Birthplace of American Table Magic
In the 1920s, Harry Blackstone Sr. established the table magic tradition at Schulien’s, transforming it from casual entertainment into an art form. This wasn’t stage magic with spotlights and distance—this was miracles happening inches from your face, between the schnitzel and the strudel. Schulien’s became the training ground for legendary magicians including Eugene Burger, Jim Krzak, Al James, Don Alan, and countless others who learned that real magic wasn’t about stages—it was about human connection, perfect timing, and making the impossible happen right at your table.
“Heba Haba Al” and the Golden Years
From the 1960s through the 1980s, Al Andrucci—known as “Heba Haba Al”—became the soul of Schulien’s magic. Called “the Grandfather of Chicago Bar Magic,” Al’s signature phrase “heba haba” and his legendary sugar cube trick made him a Chicago institution. His performances were captured on rare video, preserving the authentic spirit of Chicago bar magic forever. Patrons would feast on hackepeter (raw ground sirloin that would horrify modern health inspectors), spätzle with red cabbage, and apple strudel from nearby Lutz’s Bakery, while Al made sugar cubes dance and cards vanish into beer steins.
Four Generations of German-American Magic
After Matt’s death in 1967, his son Charlie “Chuck” Schulien took over, strictly limiting himself to card magic but maintaining the intimate performance style his father pioneered. Charlie ran the restaurant until his death in August 1998, when his son Robert “Bob” Schulien inherited both the business and the magical legacy. The walls were covered with yellowed newspaper clippings and photographs of celebrities who had visited over the decades, creating a museum-like atmosphere that transported visitors to an earlier Chicago—when the North Side was called “Nord Seite” by German immigrants who built the neighborhood.
The End of an Era
On January 27, 1999, Schulien’s permanently closed its doors after more than a century of operation. It was the end of Chicago’s longest-running family-owned tavern, one of the last authentic connections to the city’s once-thriving German-American tavern culture. But Schulien’s influence lives on—the Chicago Magic Lounge, opened in 2018, explicitly cites Schulien’s as inspiration for combining cocktails with close-up magic. The style of intimate, humorous, restaurant-based magic that Matt Schulien invented became known worldwide as “Chicago-style magic,” influencing how magic is performed in bars and restaurants across America.
Why This Collection Matters
Schulien’s represents everything Chicago was before it got corporate: immigrant families building dynasties one schnitzel at a time, speakeasies hidden beneath respectable restaurants, and the audacity to turn a German tavern into the birthplace of American close-up magic. This wasn’t just a restaurant—it was a cultural bridge where Old World traditions met New World showmanship, where the formality of German cuisine met the informality of American entertainment.
For 113 years, four generations of the Schulien family proved that Chicago magic wasn’t about illusion—it was about making every customer feel like they were part of something extraordinary. In a city built by immigrants and defined by innovation, Schulien’s represented the perfect synthesis of heritage and creativity that makes Chicago’s cultural landscape so distinctive.
“He opens his shirt, pulls down the knot of his tie, rolls up his sleeves, settles all 320 pounds comfortably in his chair, and in two minutes has everybody in the place clustered around him.”
— Frances Ireland Marshall, describing Matt Schulien’s nightly magic sessions
Wear the spirit of Chicago’s greatest magic tavern.
From the German saloon that survived Prohibition to the family restaurant that invented tableside magic, Schulien’s proved that with enough Chicago brass, even a card trick becomes a legacy.
Heritage Tribute Collection: This design honors the historical legacy of Schulien’s Restaurant (1886-1999) and the four generations of the Schulien family who created Chicago-style magic. Not affiliated with any current establishments or estates. Original artwork inspired by public domain historical records and cultural heritage. Part of Vintage Chicago’s mission to preserve the stories of Chicago’s greatest lost landmarks.
