Durty Nellie's owners plan to tear down iconic nightspot in downtown Palatine
Durty Nellie's, an iconic suburban nightspot that over its five decades has survived a devastating fire, a relocation, a pandemic and endless changes in entertainment trends, could soon be demolished to make way for a new, six-story building in downtown Palatine.
Owners Mark and James Dolezal announced Wednesday they are partnering with Jonathan Payne, one of the developers behind The Arboretum in South Barrington and Deer Park Town Center, and architect Jim Tinaglia on the plan that includes a scaled-down version of the Irish pub.
"We have loved the evolution of Durty Nellie's in Palatine, from starting out on the east side of the downtown to our current location - but our venue has become too large for what customers are looking for today," James Dolezal said in the announcement. "We have thought long and hard about this decision and taken it very seriously; this proposed new development will help us to stay in the community that we love to serve."
The proposal, expected to go before the Palatine village council on Monday, calls for a six-story apartment building at 180-190 N. Smith St., with retail space on the ground floor and rooftop. The ground floor would include a 3,500-square-foot space for a reincarnation of the "original" Durty Nellie's - the current version is about 18,000 square feet - and the rooftop would feature a bar also operated by the Dolezals, according to the announcement.
"Durty Nellie's is an institution," Palatine Mayor Jim Schwantz said Wednesday. "It's something that we've had in our downtown for as long as I've been in Palatine."
However, Schwantz said, the current version of Durty Nellie's is not working for its owners, who brought the redevelopment plan to the village.
"The fact that they're looking to redevelop that property and then be part of the final project is exciting for me, because we don't want Durty Nellie's to go away," he added. "We want Durty Nellie's to continue to be part of our downtown for as long as they want to be here."
In addition to the smaller Durty Nellie's, the proposed building would house 85 apartments on the second through sixth floors, and the adjacent Pan American Bank would be incorporated into the redevelopment.
The project already has received a unanimous recommendation from the village's plan commission, setting up next week's meeting before the village council.
If approved, developers hope to start the project in early 2024 and estimate construction would last from 18 months to two years.
The Dolezals said they began thinking about redeveloping the property in the wake of two major events: a January 2019 fire that closed the pub for months and the COVID-19 pandemic that began shortly after Durty Nellie's reopened.
"We appreciate the village of Palatine working with us to determine if this project can come to fruition and are looking forward to creating a new future for Durty Nellie's," Mark Dolezal said.