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Mundelein headed to court to force repairs at the former Central Hotel building

Mundelein officials are headed back to court over the historic local building formerly known as the Central Hotel.

One of the oldest standing buildings in Lake County, the two-story structure at 534 N. Seymour Ave. was built in 1886. It has been a hotel, a livery and stables and a restaurant.

Lately it's served as an apartment building.

But it's also been a huge hassle for village officials, who have spent decades battling with mysterious owners over safety violations there.

Most recently, the structure has been tagged unsafe for residency because of sewage inside the building. Village officials are taking the matter to Lake County circuit court to force the owners to make repairs.

"(We want to) solve the violation ... and make the property habitable again," Mundelein Building Director Peter J. Schubkegel said.

The building is on the west side of Seymour Avenue, between Park Street and Route 176. That area is the northern end of Mundelein's downtown business district, which is the focus of the town's redevelopment and marketing plans.

Public records list a Michigan resident named Charles Pelfresne as a trustee for the building. Records also have listed members of the Schiessle family as owners.

Court records indicate the Pelfresnes and the Schiessles are related.

"From what we can tell, the property is in some form of legal battle between family members, none of whom want to put any money into the place," Schubkegel said. "The true owner is always a question."

Despite repeated interview requests, members of the two families have declined to speak with the Daily Herald about the old hotel. Pelfresne didn't return phone calls Monday.

The building first fell into disrepair sometime in the 1970s. Village officials tried to have it demolished in 2008 because the owners refused to make repairs, but those efforts stopped when an attorney representing the owners surfaced and promised the structure would be fixed up.

A renovation was completed in 2009, and tenants were allowed to move in.

But in September 2014, tenants complained about raw sewage in the basement, Schubkegel said. The tenants allowed village officials to inspect the building, and it was deemed unsafe for residency, he said.

As a result, the tenants were forced to move. Personal items remain scattered outside the building.

"It's truly an eyesore," Trustee Ray Semple said.

Since then, officials have not been able to get back inside the building, and there is no evidence repairs have been made, Schubkegel said.

Municipal hearings on the matter were held in December 2014 and again this past March.

The owners didn't attend either hearing. Both times, the owners were fined $750.

Now the case will move to court, Schubkegel said. A hearing date hasn't yet been set.

Semple fears another long legal fight looms for the village.

"Especially when we're trying to revitalize the downtown," he said.

Assistant Village Administrator Michael Flynn believes the building has "great potential."

"Because it is vacant and uninhabitable in its present condition, it does not enhance the economic development of the downtown," Flynn said. "Someday we are very hopeful that it will."

  The former Central Hotel building on N. Seymour Avenue in Mundelein. Village officials say they will go to court to force the building's owners to make repairs. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
  Safety violation documents from 2014 remain at the former Central Hotel in Mundelein. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com
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