The Waverton Hotel is Closing for Good

The Waverton Hotel, at 624 N. York St., is closing for good.

"Two gentlemen walked into the Building Office this morning and told us they were hired to close The Waverton," City Manager Jim Grabowski said Tuesday. "They were hired by the company that owns The Waverton to shut it down and secure it, do inventory and those kinds of things."

Grabowski said he believes the hotel is owned by a bank out of Texas.

Elmhurst Patch had received several emails from neighbors and customers of the Waverton asking about the closing. Rebecca Gruber, sales manager and meeting and events coordinator, referred all questions to the hotel's general manager. An email message to management was not immediately returned, and phones at the hotel appear to be down. A recorded message states: "Your call cannot be completed as dialed."

While the closing may come as good news to some Elmhurst residents who have followed the police activity there over the years, not everyone is happy about it.

Two weeks ago, Jacqueline Ferguson of Naperville made reservations for four rooms and a water-park party for her daughter's 11th birthday April 27. When she called to book additional rooms for more out-of-town guests, she said an employee told her the hotel would be closing.

"They were told just yesterday morning that this weekend would be their last weekend open," she said in an email Tuesday. "When I called back to speak to a manager in regards to a refund to my credit card, the phone system at the hotel seemed to not work properly."

Ferguson said her daughter was looking forward to the party.

"It's just horrible with family coming from out of town. It's a last-minute scramble to try to find new plans that would accommodate," she said

As she went online to try to get information on the closing, however, Ferguson discovered "a lot of articles about prostitution and fighting at that location," she said.

"I am very sad that my plans have to be changed at last minute and that my invitations have already gone out and more importantly, my daughter is very disappointed to say the least. Although, it seems that some residents might actually like the idea of the closing," she said.

She said under the right circumstances, a place like the Waverton should thrive.

"Makes you wonder what the real problem is," she said.

Elmhurst Police Chief Michael Ruth said criminal activity is not the reason the Waverton is closing, however police presence has increased there, especially on weekends, in response to "some disturbances that occurred in the parking lot."

"There was some narcotics use that was occurring there in the parking lot, so we took a zero-tolerance approach to that," he said. "There have been several arrests made."

The closing will allow for a different distribution of police resources in the area, but the affect on the department as a whole has been slight, he said.

"Patrols assigned to that geographic area are taking some extra drives past, but I can't really quantify it," he said. "The officers are paying a little more attention to that particular business as we do for other locations that tend to be problematic for us."

Ruth said it's always unfortunate when Elmhurst businesses struggle, "but on the other hand, I hope it affords another company or business an opportunity to help redevelop that north end."

Grabowski said he believes the hotel is closing for financial reasons. The City Council establishing a tax increment financing district on North York may have had something to do with it, as well, he said.

"The owners might have said, 'Well, our property value just increased, the asking price just increased, because of the value of the TIF. So now would be a good time to stop the bleeding, so to speak, and dispose of it,' " Grabowski said. "I don't know that that's what they're going to do, but if I could make the decision, that's what I would hope would happen."

It could take awhile before a new business takes over in that location, and Grabowski couldn't say how much tax revenue the city would be losing. But he did say the potential for commercial development there is great.

"I think the owners are looking to dispose of it as quickly as possible, and with Mariano's developing there, I think the interest is significant," he said. "If I were a betting man, I would think it (wouldn't take) years, but it's not going to be a fast process."

If a developer asks for TIF assistance, that will require due diligence, he said. The City Council will have to weigh options for the site, and there may be zoning issues to consider, all of which will take time.

"It will all be an open and transparent process," he said.

Was this a blessing in disguise for the city?

"You never want to see a business leave, but I think the redevelopment potential up there is so great that this is probably Step 1 in what had to happen up there and what was going to happen up there," he said.

In the meantime, Ferguson is still waiting to get her money back.

"I have not been able to get in touch with anyone in regards to a refund," she said Tuesday.

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