Elgin’s newest nightspot already closed ... for now

Grove Central Station, billing itself as Elgin’s newest nightspot, was shut down just a week after its official grand opening, the owner confirmed Monday.

Anthony Carrera said the restaurant/bar officially opened Nov. 24 and had to close again Dec. 1 because of overdue elevator repairs.

The business is at 51 S. Grove Ave. and spans four floors.

“It’s going to be quite expensive,” Carrera said. “Nobody ever had to do it before.”

Carrera said the last inspection for the elevator was in 2001 and somehow prior business owners got around the annual inspections and required repairs.

Elgin Corporation Counsel William Cogley on Monday could not confirm the date of the last elevator inspection. He said Grove Central Station was given a temporary occupancy permit with the understanding that certain fixes had to be made within 45 days — the outstanding elevator repairs meant Carrera’s business lost the permit. Grove Central Station had its first soft opening during the Art and Soul on the Fox/Passegiatta event the last weekend in July. It closed after the two-day festival and reopened just before Halloween, Carrera said.

Carrera said the repairs and inspections will cost about $10,000 and will take at least a couple weeks to schedule between bringing in state and city officials. He hopes to be open by New Year’s Eve and host a music event.

Cogley — to whom Carrera has not returned phone calls — said there are other outstanding matters to be discussed with the business owners but could not say whether they might hold up the New Year’s Eve timeline.