Daily Herald opinion: St. Charles gets the all-clear to demolish Pheasant Run Resort

Finally.

For 1,342 days, the Pheasant Run Resort has sat closed. For the past 531, it has been a burned-out shell of itself, with graffiti, broken windows and all manner of decay. It's collected water and been a breeding ground for pests - both of the animal and human varieties.

Vandals on May 21, 2022, set the property ablaze, creating an even more dangerous situation. According to a September court filing, the St. Charles Police Department at that time had responded to the property 349 times for trespassing, vandalism and other offenses, including two sexual assaults.

It's become something to look away from on the eastern border of St. Charles, a detriment to the community that once loved it and was proud to call it theirs.

It's been a thorn in the side of the city, which has had to work tirelessly toward some conclusion, an end to the nuisance and eyesore.

A judge this week approved the selection of a demolition company that will finally tear the hulking mess down so that something new can take shape at the 13-acre gateway.

Demolition may begin at any time.

It will be the receiver of the property - not the city - that will pay for the demolition. The work could be complicated because there might be asbestos involved and at least the basement of the tower that once held 293 hotel rooms is filled with water so it could not be inspected.

But this finally marks the beginning of the end for Pheasant Run, which is a welcome relief.

A 90-foot crane will claw down the tower, but not before the interior of the property is demolished.

While in the years leading up to its closure for economic reasons Pheasant Run had become an anachronism.

But in 1963, when Ed McArdle opened the place, it was hoppin'. It was a suburban entertainment destination that expanded in its heydays of the 1970s and '80s.

It had an indoor/outdoor pool, 293 hotel rooms, seven restaurants, a banquet hall, a comedy club and an 18-hole golf course that it leased from the adjacent DuPage Airport.

Its provided a precursor to the indoor Las Vegas street scene-themed casinos, with a two-block Bourbon Street in miniature.

It put St. Charles on the map.

But eventually interest lagged and decay set in. When owners announced in February 2020 that they would have to let 75% of the staff go, it became clear it would close.

There was talk of subdividing the property, saving portions of it. But that never materialized. Insurmountable code violations meant it had to come down.

It's sad to lose an icon, sadder still to see something like that linger and create a blight on the rest of the area.

Pheasant Run 40 or 50 years ago was a wondrous place. Today, it's a dangerous pile of rubble. City officials ensured it wouldn't remain that way any longer than necessary. Residents should be thankful for that.