Wauconda board members last week unanimously approved an ordinance to sell its old village hall to a local development group.
The village is seeking more commercial growth that will complement and enhance the existing businesses in the historic downtown area.
The building at 100 N. Main St. has been vacant for more than a year, and needs extensive repair work. The village offices moved out in the 1970s, and it was subsequently used by the police department, the Chamber of Commerce, law offices, and as a community center.
Rather than move toward demolition, village officials decided to “test the waters” on the open real estate market in December of 2023. Ya-mon Properties responded with an offer to purchase the property for $157,000. The sale is expected to close later this month.
Ya-mon will also undertake the necessary restoration and renovation work. The village will waive permit fees for three years, and rebate a portion of the property taxes for five years. An easement access was also granted to the village.
“This is a big win for Wauconda,” Mayor Jeff Sode said. “This type of private investment preserves an iconic building on Main Street, while helping to maintain the strength of downtown Wauconda and complements other village initiatives such as the façade grant improvement program.
“The initial renderings show a refreshed exterior that will draw more visitors to our downtown,” he said.
Ya-Mon purchased and renovated a property at 314-316 Liberty St. several years ago. It applied last month for a grant for a new awning and asphalt replacement in the parking lot through the façade improvement program from the village. The investment group owns additional acreage near Route 176 and Barrington Road.
“I’m excited to see how Ya-Mon gives this historic building new life,” Village Administrator Allison Matson said. “This sale generates revenue for the village, and puts a tax-exempt property on the tax rolls for the first time, in nearly 120 years.”
The building with its distinctive pillared columns was built by the Brumm Brothers in 1907. The high ground visibility divides the downtown from the sloping grade to Bangs Lake. The village’s Parks and Recreation Department re-opened the iconic Phil’s Beach for public use two years ago.
The location on Main Street has figured prominently in the village’s history, marking the spot where Justus Bangs first built a log cabin in 1836. It has direct access to the lake and open space, now used for parking.
“That corner also had Justus Bangs’ house, built for his second wife, in 1852,” said Neville Carr, a Wauconda Township Historical Society member. “At some point, C.L. Pratt, his son-in-law, went into business in a building in front of the house, an ice cream parlor. My father had his sweets shop there in the early 1930s.
“It was also a tavern, and operated by four or five other people over the years,” Carr said. “The old house and the corner business were torn down to make way for the village hall.”
Village administrators are not sure what type of business will occupy the building on a rental basis. Certain use provisions were implemented into the sales contract to keep in line with the village’s interest in an attractive downtown encouraging more foot traffic.
“Most importantly, it will provide a boost to Main Street,” Matson said.
