Durty Nellie’s venue owners plan housing redevelopment

Owners of a beloved Palatine music venue have decided to downsize its operations amid post-pandemic struggles and turn towards the luxury apartment realm.

Mark and Jim Dolezal announced that Durty Nellie’s will close shop next year and be demolished, then replaced with a six-story, 85-unit apartment building with a bank, retail and pub on the ground floor, the Chicago Tribune reported. The teardown process is expected to start next year, and ensuing construction will take approximately 18 months to complete.

The Dolezal’s will maintain a live music element when the new building opens, but at a much smaller scale — down from 10,000 square feet to 4,000. Dury Nellie’s opened in 1972, two blocks east of its current location at 180 North Smith Street before moving to its current site near the Metra station.

“We’re too small for the big bands and too big for the small bands,” Jim Dolezal told the outlet. “We have thought long and hard about this decision and taken it very seriously; this proposed new development will help us to stay in the community that we love to serve.”

The closing is the latest indicator of a transition for the restaurant, bar and live entertainment scene in the Chicago area coming out of the pandemic. As of last year, almost 300 restaurants had closed in Chicago as a result of the pandemic, and that number has only grown.

The famous Tavern on Rush also shut down in 2022 after 25 years in business, and the Cité, a rooftop restaurant on the 70th floor of Lake Point Tower was bought out by Al Lofti after going bankrupt.

However, there have been some signs of life, including area vocalist and record producer Rickey Rainbow reviving the BackRoom — a popular jazz club for decades before shutting its Rush Street location — with a new spot in Fulton Market. Plus George Archos’ purchase of  the former Bandera restaurant and jazz venue at 535 North Michigan Avenue, which he plans to rebrand as Evie Grill. And 

As for Durty Nellie’s, it will remain open the rest of this year. If the Village Plan Commission approves the owners’ redevelopment goal, they would need to submit a final plan for village board consideration, with more architectural, parking and other logistical details.

— Quinn Donoghue