Judge sides with Glenview in suit to stop Bess Building demolition

Cook County circuit court Judge Alison Conlon in late November denied a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that would have barred the demolition of the former Bess Hardware building.

A hearing Nov. 23 for an emergency motion by plaintiffs Station Place Townhomes Condominium Association, Prairie Street Townhomes Condominium Association and five neighboring individuals was decided on behalf of the defendant, the Village of Glenview, which owns the property.

The Glenview Village Board on Nov. 5 awarded a contract for the demolition of the Bess building, 1850 Glenview Road, with a timeline that includes demolition this month. The property has been approved as the location for a multiuse development by The Drake Group, which has entered into a purchase and sale agreement with the village for the property.

The plaintiffs' attorney William J. Seitz on Nov. 16 filed a motion to retain the status quo - in this case keeping the building intact - until the court ruled on a previously filed complaint.

But on Nov. 23 the court determined, in part, that the plaintiffs did not demonstrate they'd suffer irreparable harm if the building were demolished. The ruling also found that the plaintiffs could sue for damages should something go wrong with the demolition.

The court also moved up a hearing previously scheduled for Feb. 4 on the village's motion to dismiss the plaintiff's larger complaint of the validity of the sales agreement. The new hearing is scheduled for 2 p.m. Jan. 5.