Northbrook leaders gave a 7-foot-6-inch tall Fiberglas chicken an open-ended invitation to perch in front of a downtown restaurant last week.
Trustees voted 6-0 Sept. 26 to allow Drumstix Market, 1363 Shermer Road, to permanently display the fowl in front of the building that houses the restaurant. Previously, it had a temporary permit.
The new advertising approach has some drawing comparisons to roadside decorations that were once popular in the 1950s along Route 66.
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“We have a Jar Bar, so we could see a big jar there. Little Louie’s could have a big hot dog, and Lucky Fish could have a fish on a fishing rod,” said Robert Katz, an architect who works out of the building now flanked by the chicken statue.
Katz is also a member of the Northbrook Architectural Control Commission, which is charged with upholding design standards in Northbrook’s downtown.
“I think it’s out of scale, I think it’s unnecessary, and it detracts from the building,” he said.
The commission voted 4-1 Sept. 14 to recommend that the chicken’s temporary permit not become permanent, but village trustees, who make the final call, say they aren’t worried.
Trustee Jason Han expressed some trepidation during the discussion.
“I think the chicken is a fun thing,” Han said. “But I don’t think it should be permanent.”
In the end, Han joined his fellow trustees in voting to let the chicken stay.
“I’m not against the chicken in principle,” he explained later. “It’s just that permanent is forever.”
Trustee James Karagianis said the bird is not a problem for downtown Northbrook.
“I think it adds some interest to our downtown,” said Karagianis, who chairs the Village Board’s Building and Zoning Committee.
He said he wasn’t worried about a precedent, since each new statue would need its own separate approval.
“I think it’s great,” Trustee Muriel Collison said.
She added that she overheard junior high kids plan to meet in front of the chicken. She said that indicates the giant chicken will take its place in the culture of the village, similar to the lion-shaped water fountain in nearby Village Green Park.
The chicken stands on building property a few yards from the Metra station and tracks, but Village President Sandy Frum said she doesn’t think it’s a big enough distraction to be dangerous. She said the gates, bells and train whistles are sufficient to make people pay more attention to the trains than to the large bird.
Drumstix owners Leslie and Steve Chiappetti did not return calls seeking comment.
The majority of the Architectural Control Commission members had said in their Sept. 14 meeting that the bird was not compatible with the building, but they did not have much room to complain about whether it complied with written design guidelines, as the chicken is considered a sign of sorts.
One of the Commission’s key concerns, member Cliff Town said, was that “It might set a precedent for other businesses, and some did not want to open up that box.”
He added that he was not terribly concerned about the decision.
“Everybody wants the business to succeed,” he said. “(The chicken) piques people’s attention. So many restaurants have gone out of business at that location.”
The chicken’s permanence is relative, however, Frum said.
“When the restaurant goes, the chicken goes,” she said.
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