A shuttered funeral home in Logan Square is about to become a bar slinging smashburgers and a cocktail called Six Feet Under. Valerie and James “Jim” Spyropoulos bought the multi-unit building at 3601 W. Diversey Ave. earlier this year and plan to open Afterlife Bar and Grill inside the nearly century-old structure, preserving its stained-glass windows and possibly even the old funeral home sign.
The building, constructed in 1928, previously housed a funeral home that closed in 2019, according to Block Club Chicago. The 7,765-square-foot property at 3601 W. Diversey Ave., sitting on a 52-by-125-foot lot, sold for $615,000 after being listed on December 17, 2025, according to Redfin. The property is in Logan Square.
The property has changed hands since the funeral home shut its doors. It went back on the market in 2025 before the Spyropoulos family closed their deal this year.
A Family With Deep Chicago Restaurant Roots
The Spyropoulos family isn’t new to the Chicago food scene. The family has Chicago restaurant ties, including East of Edens in Lincolnwood. The family has also run now-closed spots like Fulton’s Chicken in Rogers Park and Mr. Zees II in Portage Park, and they still operate a handful of eateries inside O’Hare Airport, per business records cited by Block Club Chicago.
Valerie Spyropoulos said both she and Jim grew up in the restaurant industry, and she also grew up in the bar business, according to the same Block Club Chicago report. Jim also appears in a Homes.com real estate listing. He also owns Portage Park Coins and Collectibles at 6037 W. Irving Park Road, according to the Better Business Bureau.
Smashburgers, Wings and a Cocktail Called Six Feet Under
Block Club Chicago reports the couple is finalizing architecture plans and expects to spend $300,000 on the buildout, with permits to be filed soon. Construction is expected to last at least a year, and the building needs a full gut rehabilitation before Afterlife Bar and Grill can open.
The menu will lean into typical American-style bar food, including smashburgers and wings, while the owners work to secure a restaurant team. True to the theme, the bar may feature a cocktail called Six Feet Under, described as having a high alcoholic content. Jim Spyropoulos told the outlet the owners will not build benches out of caskets, but they do plan to upgrade the stained glass to create a more cathedral-style appearance. The adaptive reuse will keep the existing apartments above the storefront intact.
City Grant Money and Local Zoning Questions
The project has municipal backing. 35th Ward Alderman Anthony J. Quezada announced $4,697,990 in City of Chicago Community Development Grants across four ward projects in June, including a $250,000 award earmarked for Afterlife Bar, according to the 35th Ward Newsletter. The grants are funded through Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2024 Housing and Economic Development Bond initiative and administered by the city’s Department of Planning and Development.
The $250,000 award for Afterlife Bar was part of a larger package that also funded $3,000,000 for the Grace’s Furniture Building redevelopment and $1,323,909 for the Puerto Rican Arts Alliance expansion, per the same newsletter. The project also raises questions about zoning and licensing.
A Preservation Win After a Failed Demolition Bid
The site’s survival wasn’t a given. A previous developer sought to demolish the building in 2019 to build a six-flat apartment building, but then-Alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa rejected the demolition and redevelopment plan, according to Andy Schneider, as reported by Block Club Chicago. Schneider said the building not being torn down amounts to a victory for preservation.
The funeral home operated at the site from the 1960s, run by the Russ family under names including Mrazek & Russ Funeral Service, before the family sold the building in 2019. Logan Square Preservation views the building’s adaptive reuse as a win for the neighborhood, according to Block Club Chicago’s reporting.
For the Spyropoulos family, the venture is described as a passion project. The couple has previously opened and sold various fast-casual restaurants around Chicago, including a West Loop location at 1676 W. Ogden Ave. that later became Su Taqueria El Rey Del Taco, and they still run East of Edens in Lincolnwood. With permits pending and construction not expected to wrap for at least a year, neighbors along Diversey and Central Park will have a while to watch the old funeral home’s transformation take shape.
