“One of the city’s most beloved donut shops is getting a financial boost to kick off a long-awaited renovation project later this year.
“Roseland’s renowned Old Fashioned Donuts, 11248 S. Michigan Ave., is one of 50 small businesses across the country to receive a $50,000 grant through the national Backing Historic Small Restaurants program.
“The annual program, run by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express, awards grants to aging businesses like Old Fashioned Donuts to renovate, expand and bring new life to America’s longest-running food establishments.
“The family-owned doughnut shop, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022, is the only Chicago grant recipient this year and one of only two in Illinois. The other awardee is Docs Just Off 66, a soda fountain in Girard, Illinois.
“One of the city’s most beloved donut shops is getting a financial boost to kick off a long-awaited renovation project later this year.
“Roseland’s renowned Old Fashioned Donuts, 11248 S. Michigan Ave., is one of 50 small businesses across the country to receive a $50,000 grant through the national Backing Historic Small Restaurants program.
“The annual program, run by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express, awards grants to aging businesses like Old Fashioned Donuts to renovate, expand and bring new life to America’s longest-running food establishments.
“The family-owned doughnut shop, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022, is the only Chicago grant recipient this year and one of only two in Illinois. The other awardee is Docs Just Off 66, a soda fountain in Girard, Illinois.
“Michele Bulloch said Old Fashioned Donuts was encouraged to apply for the grant by Andrea Reed, executive director of the Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce. Applications for the program opened in March.
“Reed and the Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce have been trying to help Old Fashioned Donuts with its renovation goals since 2015 by identifying grants the business qualified for, Reed said.
“The shop is also getting funding for its renovation from the Chicago Community Trust and the Chicago Department of Planning and Development’s Neighborhood Opportunity Fund, Reed said.
“Investing in businesses like Old Fashioned Donuts is important to restoring Roseland — once known as ‘the jewel of the South Side’ — to its former glory, said Reed, who also serves on the board of Preservation Chicago.
“The doughnut shop’s renovation project could be a model for other area businesses, many of which are just as important historically and need a similar level of investment, Reed said. The Roseland chamber hopes to preserve as much of the South Michigan Avenue corridor as it can.’
“‘Buildings are like pictures. They tell stories, and people can look back and talk about like, the Gately’s People Store. It’s no longer there, unfortunately, but people have memories about the Gately’s People Store, the Roseland Theater and some other landmark buildings along our corridor,’ Reed said. ‘We want to keep those landmarks and we want to identify specific places along the corridor that represent the history of our community.’ (McDonald, Block Club Chicago, 8/12/24)
Old Fashioned Donuts is a Chicago Legacy Business on South Michigan Avenue in Roseland, a 2020 Preservation Chicago 7 Most Endangered. Preservation Chicago is working closely with stakeholders to help recognize and embrace the historic facade of the vintage building.
Read the full story at Block Club Chicago
- Old Fashioned Donuts, A South Side Institution, Gets $50,000 Grant For Long-Overdue Renovation; The family-owned Roseland shop, which opened in 1972, is the only Chicago recipient of this year’s Backing Historic Small Restaurant grant program from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Maia McDonald, Block Club Chicago, 8/12/24
- Roseland Michigan Avenue Commercial District, a Preservation Chicago 2020 Most Endangered