In advance of the Robert Crown Community Center’s full opening on Feb. 29, the city is accepting applications from local restaurants to create pop-up food experiences.

The program is slated to start May 1 and last for the first year after opening, with the majority of revenue coming from concessions during sporting events held at the center. However, the pop-ups will be open to patrons who use the center for non-sporting needs, and the city said in a news release that additional opportunities for catering and food service will come with the opening of the outdoor fields at the center.

The Robert Crown Community Center renovations were initially proposed in January 2017, with the intent of reworking the interior of the building at the time. However, the plan changed to account for a complete replacement of the center at a later date, and construction began on the new building in July 2018. The building has sparked controversy over its cost increases, related to both the change in intent and increases in scope of the project.

The facilities — which will include two ice rinks, a variety of athletic fields, a new library branch and multiple community rooms — have opened gradually during the past few months. With the Evanston Public Library branch’s opening on Saturday, the center will finally be completely open to the public. City officials and members of the project have said they are excited to see the impact the renovated center will have on Evanston, as one of the center’s new points of focus is engagement with a wider variety of people.

The city is accepting letters of interest until March 31, when it will begin to form guidelines for the format the pop-ups will take. However, all applicants must include information about elements such as their concept, duration and preferred dates.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @jacobnfulton1

Related stories:
– Robert Crown Community Center nears completion
– EPL branch at Robert Crown Center likely to open in February