Beloved 24-Hour North Center Diner Shutters After Xmas Eve Fire

The owners of a nearly 80-year-0ld North Center restaurant that caught fire on Christmas Eve are vowing to rebuild the restaurant to maintain its quintessential, no-frills charm.

No one was injured in the Diner Grill blaze, which started around 11:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 24, according to an Eater article. But flames caused severe damage, forcing the 24-hour restaurant at 1635 W. Irving Park Road to shutter until repair work is complete.

The eatery's owner, Arnold DeMar, said the rehab effort won't alter Diner Grill's charm.
“The design—that’s what made it what it is,” he told Eater reporters. “We’re just going to restore it as it was.”

The rebuild is expected to take about two months.

Photo courtesy of the Chicago Fire Department Incidents Facebook page.