Durty Nellie's, the concert hall and pub that has anchored downtown Palatine for more than five decades, is on track to become an Iowa-based brewery's newest Midwest outpost. Big Grove Brewery has a contract to purchase the building at 180 N. Smith St., and its plan to convert the space into a restaurant and microbrewery is now headed to the Palatine Village Council for consideration at its meeting on September 8.
The proposal, first detailed by the Chicago Tribune, already cleared a major local hurdle after the Palatine Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended it. Big Grove CEO Matthew Swift said the property came to his attention through Jeremy Brade, and that he had also considered a West Loop location in Chicago before settling on Palatine. The company describes its renovation plan as a major first-floor makeover rather than a teardown, a notable shift from the site's recent history.
From Near-Demolition to Adaptive Reuse
The building has been through a lot to get here. A severe kitchen fire in January 2019 forced Durty Nellie's to shut its performance hall for four months and its kitchen for nine, according to the Journal & Topics, financial damage that hit just before the COVID-19 pandemic forced further closures in 2020. Those compounding setbacks pushed owners Mark and James Dolezal to seek a buyer or redevelopment partner for the 18,000-square-foot venue, which they'd moved into in 2003 after Durty Nellie's originally opened in 1972 at a different Palatine address, per WhatNow.
In April 2023, the Palatine Village Council narrowly approved preliminary plans from the Dolezals and developer Jonathan Payne to demolish the venue entirely and build a six-story, 85-unit luxury apartment tower with a smaller ground-floor pub, the Daily Herald reported at the time. But that residential redevelopment stalled over unresolved village parking demands tied to the site's proximity to the Palatine Metra station, and it was officially abandoned in 2024 amid rising interest rates, according to The Real Deal. Big Grove's plan takes a markedly different approach, reconfiguring the existing building's interior instead of tearing it down, with architectural drawings from design firm Pappageorge Haymes Partners outlining an expanded ground-level outdoor patio, per the Daily Herald's reporting on the project.
What Big Grove Is Bringing to Palatine
Under the plan, the first floor will house the brewery itself, while the second floor will be used mainly for private events such as corporate gatherings and weddings, per the Tribune's account. The renovation includes tearing out the first-floor stage that once hosted Durty Nellie's full concert calendar, and the new venue will feature a covered patio. Big Grove Chief Operating Officer Mike Wehr said the company plans to honor Durty Nellie's legacy in Palatine, and the brewery intends to keep the boulder outside the building honoring Ted Nugent's mother in place.
Big Grove locations have hosted small-scale live music elsewhere in the Midwest, and Swift said any music in Palatine would accompany dinner rather than resemble a rock concert. The plan still raised questions during the local review process about continuing live music and honoring Durty Nellie's legacy, concerns that shaped the smaller-scale entertainment approach the company is now proposing. The Palatine location is expected to close at 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 p.m. on weekends, positioning it as more of a dinner spot than a late-night destination, according to the Tribune's reporting.
A Regional Brewery With Chicago Ties
Big Grove started in Solon, Iowa, in 2013 and has since grown into the 62nd largest craft brewery in the country, distributing across seven Midwestern states, according to Palatine municipal planning documents reviewed by the Daily Herald. The company already operates six other Midwest locations, in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, and Des Moines, Iowa; Omaha, Nebraska; and suburban Kansas City, Kansas. Its beers, including the hazy IPA Easy Eddy, have won awards, and Big Grove holds the distinction of being the official crafter of the Hawkeyes.
The brewery's push into Illinois has been methodical. Big Grove began building distribution here in December 2023 through a partnership with Stern Beverage, then expanded wide-scale distribution into Nebraska in March 2024, according to the Corridor Business Journal. Big Grove launched distribution specifically in the Chicagoland area last Monday, laying retail groundwork just ahead of the Palatine taproom proposal. The company anticipates producing 200 to 300 barrels of beer annually at the Palatine location, and Swift has pointed to the University of Iowa's Chicago-area ties as part of the market's appeal, noting that about 42% of the school's student population comes from the Chicago area.
Zoning Steps Still Ahead
Before construction can begin, Big Grove needs an amendment to Palatine's Gateway Center Planned Development along with a special use permit covering a restaurant, bar, microbrewery, and outdoor patio seating, per the Daily Herald. The property sits directly across from the Palatine Metra station on the Union Pacific Northwest line, a transit-facing location that has kept parking and commuter access central to the village's review of any redevelopment on the site.
Local officials involved in the planning process have framed the project in community terms. Stephen Fedota said the project represents a family-oriented third space, and Big Grove's plan drew an enthusiastic reception from the Palatine Planning and Zoning Commission before its unanimous recommendation. The company hopes the Palatine venue will draw visitors from Crystal Lake, Arlington Heights, and other surrounding suburbs. Big Grove has also built a broader civic profile through its corporate foundation, which launched a neighborhood micro-grant program in March 2025 to fund community improvement projects, according to BevNET. The Palatine Village Council is set to take up the full proposal at its September 8 meeting.
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