Cafe Brauer (also known as the South Pond Refectory) has been serving parkgoing Chicagoans for more than 50 years, though not consecutively.  Perched along the edge of the South Pond in Lincoln Park, on the grounds of the Lincoln Park Zoo, the cafe originally opened in 1908 in a classic, elegant, highly-acclaimed, prairie-style building designed by Dwight H. Perkins.  The restaurant, originally commissioned by the Brauer family, was one of the most popular eateries in Chicago in the early twentieth century.  It gradually fell into decline following the repeal of Prohibition, in part because state law forbid the service of alcoholic beverages in public parks.  Cafe Brauer ultimately closed in 1941 and remained dormant for nearly 50 years while the building served as a storage facility for the zoo.  Following years of community efforts to revive it, a renovated Cafe Brauer finally reopened in January 1990.  What with its stunning, expansive reception hall, it has become popular today as an event space and has served as a beautiful backdrop to the exchanging of many vows.  In the summer, zoogoers and other passersby can enjoy a nice meal on the patio adjacent to the cafe, at the brink of the recently restored lagoon.