1889 Building Served As Hotel, Butcher Shop, Tanning Salon

One of the oldest surving structures in Grayslake has housed everything from a hotel to a tavern, from a butcher shop to a tanning salon.

Among the many artifacts of Grayslake history displayed at the Grayslake Heritage Center and Museum are the china table settings used at the Grayslake Hotel in downtown Grayslake during the late 1800s and early 1900s.  

The building on the south side of Center Street between Whitney Street and Seymour Avenue is now the home of an investment firm. It is one of the village's oldest surviving structures.

Constructed in 1889, the building has been used as a hotel, restaurant, tavern, drug store, ice cream parlor, butcher shop, grocery store, dry goods store, carpet store and tanning salon. Several other businesses occupied the store throughout the years for short periods of time.  

The land for the hotel was purchased in 1889 by Mary Ann (Aunt Polly) Hook. The land was vacant because Alexander Riel's hardware store was destroyed by fire. The two-story frame structure was built by John Walton of Volo and Orlando Richardson. The livery stable built in back of the hotel was later destroyed by fire.  

Aunt Polly Hook operated the hotel and when she married Willis Gardinier in 1890 they operated the hotel until late 1911 when they separated. After Willis left, Aunt Polly operated the hotel until 1913 when she leased the building to James McCulla who operated the hotel until 1917. A couple of short-lived business tenants followed.  

Lois Sowles rented the building in the spring of 1921, reopened the hotel restaurant and renamed the business the Castle Inn. She operated the business until the winter of 1924 when Mary Gardinier sold the building to George Kloepfer who was one of several owners in quick succession.  

Other owners were Charles Willers (1925-1928), Mrs.Frank Meisner (1928), Walter Gernhofer (1928) and Leo Angley (1928-1940). Angley operated a tavern in the hotel for several  years after prohibition was repealed.  

Philip Hildebrandt Sr. purchased the hotel building in 1940 where he operated his drug store and ice  cream parlor. In 1943, he sold the building and drug store to Delbert Hook who operated his drug store business there for 14 years before moving to another building further west on Center Street in 1957. Hook built the small building, now Fred's Diner, next to the hotel building.   

Two months after Hook moved, Carlyle Rasmussen purchased the building and moved his grocery store from across Center Street. In 1964, Rasmussen sold his grocery to Leonard DeGraff who remained there for a short time until the building was leased to Victor Herter who had bought out DeGraff's store goods.

Eighteen months later, Herter was no longer in business and a carpet store opened there. Rasmussen sold the building in November 1974 It was then divided into two separate stores. It had been vacant for awhile and then was occupied by several businesses including a tanning salon and the current investment firm.   

The Grayslake Heritage Center and Museum, 164 Hawley St., Grayslake, is open from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays and during downtown community events.

- Contributed by the Grayslake Historical Society.