CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WAND) – Kam’s, a longtime staple bar in Campustown, has announced its official last day of operations before moving.
The bar will have its last day on Oct. 20 at its 618 E. Daniel St. location. It will move in January to a new building at First and Green streets, The News-Gazette reports, and owner Scott Cochrane said he hopes it can be open by New Year’s Day in 2020. If not then, it could open for business when students come back in mid-January.
“Some setbacks” kept Cochrane from keeping the business open until the new one is ready, according to him.
The iconic orange and blue exterior will be gone after the move, but Cochrane said some features will be brought over, including some bricks, the traditional “KAM’S” sign and a bar top turned into letters spelling “Kam’s”.
Cochrane is looking for past photos of Kam’s to create a display with at the new bar. As of late September, the collection features pictures from as far back as the 1940’s. The newspaper said he’s looking for more pictures, which can be emailed to KamsDrinkingIllini@gmail.com.
When Kam's opens at First and Green, Cochrane said two other bars – Stan’s Gridiron and Second Chance – will also be in the building, with Stan’s taking half of the first floor and Second Chance, which will have an outdoor patio, on the upper level. Stan’s originally was open at Kam’s current location until 1975, and Second Chance was destroyed in the late 1970s in a fire.
But what will happen to the area of Daniel Street where Kam’s operates in September? According to The News-Gazette, Core Spaces will begin an apartment/office/retail complex project in the 600 block. When it opens, it will not have any bars.
Oct. 20 will feature a “Last Call on Daniel Street” celebration at Kam’s. Core Spaces is scheduled to begin work on its project the following day.
Cochrane told his employees Tuesday they’re making history, as they are the last Daniel Street Kam’s workers and will be the first at the new bar when a new era begins in 2020.
