Craft brewery planning to open at different site in downtown Mundelein

Entrepreneurs who intended to open a craft brewery and restaurant in downtown Mundelein now are focusing on a different location a few blocks away.

In June 2024, Fenton Brewing Co. was proposed for a former municipal building at 428 N. Chicago Ave. A limited liability company purchased the building from the village for that purpose.

But Tonality Brewing Co. & Scratch Kitchen’s closure last year created a vacancy at 169 N. Seymour Ave., and that’s where the Fenton Brewing folks plan to open now.

The sites are about a half-mile apart.

“Tonality had a unique set up much better suited for Fenton’s to get up and running sooner,” Mayor Robin Meier said in an email Tuesday.

The Seymour Avenue building is a two-story, brick structure that was built in the 1940s as a fire station. According to local lore, the firehouse was built by the firefighters themselves.

It served in that role for decades before being converted into a public works maintenance garage. The village vacated the site in 2020, and Tonality opened in late 2023.

The Chicago Avenue building was being used by a public tool library until the Fenton Brewing team bought it. Despite making some initial improvements, however, the Fenton Brewing team never opened a business there.

The Fenton team shifted its attention to the former Tonality site last summer, Village Administrator Eric Guenther said. Renovations are underway, and an opening is expected in April or May, he said.

“While we were sad to see Tonality close, I think Fenton’s moving into this location makes a lot of sense,” Guenther said in an email. “We are excited to see yet another business starting here in Mundelein.”

Fenton Brewing still owns the Chicago Avenue building, and its website still identifies Chicago Avenue as its address. Under Fenton’s agreement with the village, potential tenants are restricted if the company sells the site, Guenther said.

The village board on Monday voted to create a liquor license for Fenton Brewing without any public debate or opposition.