Mundelein agrees to settle suit over historic building

The long, strange legal battle over one of Lake County’s oldest buildings finally is ending.

The Mundelein village board on Monday agreed to settle a lawsuit and other legal claims involving the two-story building at 534 N. Seymour Ave., a structure once known as the Central Hotel.

The owners and the man identified as the trustee of the property already have signed the agreement, Village Administrator John Lobaito said.

“It’s been a long time coming,” Lobaito said. “We’re just pleased that we can put this behind us.”

As part of the settlement, the village will allow the trustee, Michigan resident Charles Pelfresne, or other people to park cars on an area south of the building that was paved without village permission. The village also will cut the curb in front of the area to allow cars to safely enter and exit that small space.

In exchange, Pelfresne will pay the village $8,000 to settle a plethora of building-code violations filed against the property. Pelfresne also will dismiss his legal claims against the village.

Built in 1886, the building has been used as a hotel, a livery and stables, a restaurant and apartments. Photographs of the building have been featured in Mundelein’s historical publications.

The building fell into disrepair some time in the 1970s. Officials tried for decades to force the owners to fix up the place, but the owners proved hard to identify.

In addition to Pelfresne, public records have listed members of the Schiessle family as owners of the building. Court records indicate the Pelfresnes and the Schiessles are related.

Despite repeated interview requests, members of the Schiessle and Pelfresne families have never spoken to the Daily Herald about the matter.

The building has been vacant since 2003, when a woman living there was evicted because of code violations.

Village leaders tried to have the building demolished in 2008, but those efforts halted when an attorney representing the owners at the time promised the structure would be repaired.

Improvements — including new interior and exterior paint, a new air conditioning and heating system and a new plumbing system — were completed in 2009.

The village’s goal always has been to have the property properly maintained, Lobaito said.