Downtown Mundelein building gets spruced up, now awaiting tenants

Saved from demolition in 2008, a once-dilapidated but historic building in downtown Mundelein has been repaired and awaits occupancy, village officials confirmed Wednesday.

The former Central Hotel at 534 N. Seymour Ave. now sports a relatively fresh coat of white paint, and a peek inside its windows indicates the building-code violations that plagued it for years have been resolved.

"We're very satisfied," Village Administrator John Lobaito said. "(It's) the best it's looked in 30 years."

The building remains unoccupied, however. Chicago attorney Bob Boron, who represents the owners, said his clients are considering "a couple different possibilities" for the site.

Additionally, Boron and the village remain in court over issues relating to the building, particularly a parking lot Lobaito said was installed without the proper permit.

Lobaito said village leaders are willing to issue an occupancy permit as soon as the owners decide what to do with the building.

Built in 1886, the building is one of the oldest standing structures in Lake County. It's been used as a hotel, a livery and stables, a restaurant and apartments.

A sign above its dual front doors still reads "Central Hotel."

The building fell into disrepair some time after being sold in the 1970s.

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

Work began that year and was completed late last year, village officials said. Improvements included new interior and exterior paint, a new air conditioning and heating system, new plumbing and a new electrical system, Mundelein Building Director Pete Schubkegel said.

"The work has been done, believe it or not," Lobaito said. "It's shocking."

The building has gained a certain amount of notoriety not just because of its once-crumbling condition but also because of the elusiveness of its owners.

A 2008 building-permit application and other documents have listed a Charles Pelfresne of Muskegon, Mich., as the property's trustee. Public records have listed members of the Schiessle family as owners of the building.

Court records indicate the Pelfresnes and Schiessles are related.

Boron declined to identify the owners, saying the building is part of a trust.

Relatively new signs on the building's facade list the names of several possible tenants, including a business called the Drugan and Lake Corp. and an attorney identified only as "M. Schiessle."

A search for a phone number or website for the Drugan and Lake Corp. was unsuccessful. Likewise, no attorney named Schiessle is listed in Illinois' attorney registration and disciplinary commission's online database as working in Mundelein.

A onetime Park Ridge attorney named Michael Schiessle has been connected to the house in public records. He could not be reached for comment.

The building is planned for residential use, Schubkegel said. That was its most recent use, until a lone tenant was evicted in 2003 because of the code violations.

If the owners choose a different use, such as offices, additional improvements may be needed to ensure the site complies with the village's building codes, Schubkegel said.