Palatine's oldest commercial structure to make way for parking

As Palatine has evolved from its earliest settlement days to a thriving suburb, a quaint white building has stood on Slade Street downtown for more than 150 years.

In 1855, about five years after John Patten moved his family from New Hampshire to Palatine, the family opened a general store near the original train depot and lived upstairs. The store was replaced by a bakery, and then in 1946 a tavern known as The Office Pub.

Now, what's believed to be Palatine's oldest commercial structure is on the verge of being razed to make way for parking.

Harris Bank's deal to buy the property for $620,000 from Office Pub owner Beverly Langer was finalized Sept. 21, according to Cook County Recorder of Deeds records.

"We want to better serve customers by providing more parking," Harris Bank spokeswoman Rachel Gerds said of the branch at 50 N. Brockway St. "We want to support the village by making the area surrounding our branch more aesthetically pleasing. That will help develop business in the area."

She declined to comment further on the bank's plans.

The acquisition comes on the heels of a complicated land swap and purchase involving the bank and Palatine. The parties traded two equal-sized parcels in the downtown area, allowing for more contiguous land ownership, Deputy Village Manager Mike Jacobs said.

On top of the swap, Palatine paid about $3.7 million for several remaining lots Harris Bank wanted to offload. They total about 1.25 acres and include the long-vacant Cru Building at 150 W. Wilson St. The parcels are located within a tax increment financing district, so the village used TIF funds in the acquisition.

Jacobs said there are no immediate plans for development other than to designate the newly acquired land for commuter parking and offer the Masons an interim home since the group's lodge is being impacted by road improvements at Palatine and Plum Grove roads.

The Harris Bank building consists of both the bank and other businesses, so customers are often forced to park on the street or in neighboring lots. But the idea that Palatine will lose its oldest commercial building for more convenient parking isn't sitting well with some residents, such as Palatine Historical Society board member Connie Rawa.

"We would love to have it preserved even if it had to be moved someplace," Rawa said. "We've already lost so many buildings downtown."

Pamela Olander, who has been involved in efforts to restore the Patten House, which was built by John's son, Charles, in 1898, also calls the move "tragic." She brought the Office Pub to the attention of Illinois Historic Preservation Agency project designer Anthony Rubano, who said wooden commercial buildings from the 1850s are rare in Illinois, especially in the suburbs.

"The first generation of how people built in Midwestern commercial districts were often replaced early on," Rubano said. "They were either prone to fires or replaced by masonry structures as economies improved and durable materials became more accessible."

Rubano pointed out features of the Italianate-style structure on Slade Street that survived remarkably well, such as its original "two-over-two windows" and parapet, which projects above the roof like buildings seen in the Old West.

"These buildings are rare and lovely in their own right," Rubano said. "It should be saved."

However, the building has fallen into disrepair, which was one of the catalysts behind Beverly Langer's decision to sell. When the watering hole closed last month, Langer said she stopped putting money into its upkeep years ago when she thought the village was going to buy it.

Another obstacle to saving Palatine's old buildings is the absence of a village preservation ordinance or historic commission, which Rubano said would have teeth unlike historic registers.