History of 117 W Slade Street, Palatine (The Palatine Station)

Introduction

117 W. Slade Street in downtown Palatine, Illinois – now branded The Palatine Station – has a rich history spanning over a century. This site served as a cornerstone of Palatine’s civic life as an early village hall and fire station before evolving into a mixed-use commercial building. Today it retains its historic character while housing modern businesses, exemplifying adaptive reuse in the heart of Palatine. The following report details the property’s architectural origins, its tenure as the Slade Street firehouse, subsequent ownership and redevelopment, notable occupants, and key events that shaped its story.

Architectural Origins (1899–1940s)

The story begins in 1899, when Palatine built its Old Village Hall on Slade Street between Brockway and Greeley Streets palatinehistoricalsociety.com. This original structure was a two-story frame building with a distinctive bell tower. The ground floor doubled as the village’s fire station (housing horse-drawn fire apparatus in the early years) and the second floor served as a meeting hall for village board meetings, community events, and even entertainment palatinehistoricalsociety.com. By the late 1930s, this 1899 hall had become outdated for the growing village’s needs. Palatine’s volunteer fire department raised funds to replace it with a modern facility on the same lot palatinehistoricalsociety.com.

Construction of the New Fire Station: In the early 1940s, the old hall was torn down and a dedicated brick firehouse was erected at 117 W. Slade Street. Local historic accounts place the construction around 1942–1943 thepalatinestation.com palatinehistoricalsociety.com. (Some later records list a “year built” of 1947, possibly reflecting a formal completion or a post-war addition thepalatinestation.com loopnet.com.) The new building was a two-story masonry structure with a red brick façade, designed in a functional civic style with traditional touches. Its front featured three large garage bay doors for fire engines and symmetrical second-story windows often adorned with shutters, lending a mild Colonial-Revival appearance. Twin pedestrian entrances with small pediments flanked the central bays thepalatinestation.com thepalatinestation.com. The overall design was utilitarian yet civic-minded – built to be sturdy and practical for firefighting, while also blending into the small-town streetscape of mid-century Palatine.

A historic view of the two-story brick firehouse at 117 W. Slade Street, circa mid-20th century. The building features three garage bay doors on the ground level and a symmetrical façade with multi-paned windows on the second floor. This brick structure replaced the 1899 village hall on the same site in the early 1940s palatinehistoricalsociety.com.

Notably, the new fire station was a community effort. The volunteer firefighters not only championed its funding but even helped build it, according to local lore palatinehistoricalsociety.com. When it opened in the 1940s, the modern Slade Street fire station became Palatine’s main firehouse and an instantly recognizable civic landmark in the downtown area dailyherald.com.

Slade Street Fire Station Era (1940s–1981)

For roughly four decades, 117 W. Slade Street was known as the Slade Street Fire Station, the hub of Palatine’s fire department operations. During this era, Palatine’s fire service was largely volunteer-based, and the building served not only as an engine house but also as a community gathering space. The station’s ground floor housed the fire engines, equipment, and dispatch, while the upstairs hall continued the tradition of hosting civic events – everything from firefighter fundraising dances to public meetings dailyherald.com thepalatinestation.com. In fact, it was fondly remembered that many lively fundraising dances were held in the second-floor hall in the mid-20th century dailyherald.com, strengthening the bond between the volunteer fire company and the townspeople.

Palatine volunteer firefighters and their fire engine in front of the Slade Street firehouse (undated mid-century photo). The station’s sign reading “FIRE DEPT.” and the classic engine bays reflect its central role in the village’s public safety and community life dailyherald.com.

Throughout the 1940s–1970s, the Slade Street station was literally on the front lines of Palatine’s emergencies and growth. Firefighting in this period was often a neighborhood affair: when the siren sounded, local volunteers would rush from their homes or businesses to the Slade Street firehouse to ride the engines. One tragic incident underscored the risks of this era: on October 1, 1946, while responding to a call, Palatine firefighters Wesley Comfort Jr. and Leonard Nebel were struck by a passing Chicago & North Western train at the nearby Brockway Street rail crossing. Both men were fatally injured (Nebel immediately, and Comfort a few days later), marking the first line-of-duty deaths in Palatine’s Fire Department palatine.il.us patch.com. The accident occurred just a block from the firehouse as the crew departed, and it led to a memorial being established at the corner of Brockway and Slade Streets (near the station) to honor their sacrifice palatine.il.us patch.com. This painful event became a part of the station’s legacy and the village’s collective memory.

As Palatine grew in the post-war decades, the limitations of a small downtown firehouse became apparent. The department remained partly volunteer through the 1970s thepalatinestation.com, but increasing development and a series of serious fires highlighted the need for modernization. A seminal moment came with the Ben Franklin five-and-dime store fire in downtown Palatine on February 23, 1973. Three volunteer firefighters lost their lives in that blaze after becoming trapped in a basement – a tragedy that deeply affected the community and the fire department’s culture chicagoareafire.com chicagoareafire.com. Although the 1973 fire did not occur at the Slade Street station, it underscored the challenges of firefighting at the time and accelerated the push for improved training, equipment, and facilities thepalatinestation.com. By the late 1970s, Palatine’s growth demanded new, larger fire stations in less congested locations. In August 1979, the Daily Herald noted that the venerable Slade Street station was “scheduled to be closed and replaced by two new stations,” as the village planned to decentralize fire coverage dailyherald.com.

Indeed, soon after, Palatine built new fire stations (including a modern Station 85 on Colfax St.), and the old downtown firehouse prepared to close. In 1981, the fire department formally decommissioned and vacated 117 W. Slade Street, ending roughly four decades of continuous service from this address thepalatinestation.com palatinehistoricalsociety.com. The doors of the Slade Street fire station shut for the last time as an active firehouse, marking the end of an era.

Transition to Civic Reuse and “Slade Street Station” (1981–1990s)

After the fire department moved out, the future of the old firehouse was uncertain for a few years. During this transitional period, the empty building didn’t stay entirely dark – local groups made interim use of it. For example, the Palatine Jaycees famously turned the vacant fire station into a Halloween Haunted House in October 1982 to raise funds, taking advantage of the building’s reputation and spooky, empty halls archive.orgarchive.org. Such community uses kept the structure in the public eye and foreshadowed its next chapter as a place for local enterprise.

In 1984, the dormant fire station found new life when it was repurposed into a small commercial center. A private developer (having acquired the property from the Village around that time) renovated the building to accommodate retail and office tenants. The revamped property was aptly named “Slade Street Station,”honoring its heritage as a former fire station thepalatinestation.com palatinehistoricalsociety.com. The basic exterior architecture – the brick façade and two-story profile – remained, but the large garage bay openings were adapted for storefronts. The once utilitarian interior was subdivided for multiple uses, while preserving the high ceilings and open span of the upper level. Upon opening in 1984, it was described as a “mini-shopping mall” in the heart of downtown palatinehistoricalsociety.com.

Over the late 1980s and 1990s, Slade Street Station became an established if modest retail/office destination in Palatine. Several local businesses found a home in the old firehouse. For instance, a hair salon (“Mane Street Hair Styling”) operated there for many years mapquest.com, and other services like professional offices and boutiques rotated through the ground-floor units. The second floor – once the firemen’s loft and dance hall – was adapted at one point into a dance and fitness studio, capitalizing on its large, unobstructed space and lofty beamed ceiling thepalatinestation.com. Throughout these changes, the building’s ownership changed hands at least once: property records indicate a sale around 2001 (the first major transaction since its 1980s privatization) realtor.com.

Despite new uses, the site’s historic significance was not forgotten. The Palatine Historical Society identified 117 W. Slade as a key historic structure downtown and later included it in its historic plaque program. (A plaque notes the building’s origin as the “Slade St. Fire Station” and its later guise as “Mac’s on Slade,” one of the businesses within palatinehistoricalsociety.com.) In this era, the building proved its adaptability – sturdy enough to house fire trucks in one generation and welcome shoppers in the next – while retaining its outward character. A 1988 newspaper description still referred to it endearingly as “the old Slade Street fire station shops”palatinehistoricalsociety.com, reflecting that locals saw it as a landmark first and a strip mall second.

Notable Businesses and Modern Revitalization (2000s–Present)

Entering the 2000s, 117 W. Slade Street continued as a multi-tenant commercial property, and new ventures put their stamp on the historic site. Among the most notable was Mac’s on Slade, a restaurant and live music venue that became a downtown Palatine favorite. Opened by William “Mac” Reitz (from whom it took its name), Mac’s on Slade occupied a large portion of the ground floor and was known for hosting jazz and blues jam nights. The venue’s presence made the old firehouse once again a lively community gathering spot, this time for food and music rather than fire engines. Mac’s on Slade operated for much of the 2010s and developed a loyal following dailyherald.com dailyherald.com. In 2018, Mac Reitz sold the business to a new ownership group (including his longtime manager Jeff Van Horn) dailyherald.com. However, after a run of nearly a decade, Mac’s on Slade closed in August 2019, amid some licensing issues, leaving its windows temporarily dark dailyherald.com dailyherald.com.

Meanwhile, other tenants thrived. A colorful ice cream parlor called My Flavor It! Place (part of a local family-owned chain established in 2003) set up shop in one of the street-facing units, offering frozen treats to downtown visitors thepalatinestation.com. Service businesses like a photography studio also occupied space, contributing to the mixed-use character of the building allprohomes.com. On the second floor, a performing arts tenant brought the site full circle to its dance-hall roots: in 2018, The Dance Loft opened a studio in the spacious upstairs suite (Suite 200). The Palatine Chamber of Commerce noted it was located “in the historic downtown Palatine Slade Street Station building,” a nod to the building’s heritage patch.com. The Dance Loft offered ballet and aerial dance classes in a room that once hosted 1940s community balls, exemplifying how the vintage architecture could inspire new forms of community activity.

By the early 2020s, the building’s owners undertook efforts to reinvigorate and rebrand the property. In 2015, a significant interior and exterior renovation was completed loopnet.com, including installing a new roof, modern HVAC, and refreshed façades for the storefronts. The real estate listings note the building was “built 1947/renovated 2015” and highlight features like updated electrical systems and tailored build-outs for tenants loopnet.com allprohomes.com. These upgrades improved functionality while preserving the structure’s historic shell. The large second-floor studio retained its ~20-foot vaulted beamed ceiling and hardwood floors, but gained modern amenities like central air, a full kitchen, and multiple restrooms to support uses from fitness classes to events allprohomes.com.

By 2023, its anchor tenant – the live music venue – was reborn as Madcats (stylized “MadCats”), a restaurant/bar carrying on Mac’s legacy of nightly music. Madcats opened in 2021 under proprietor Savio Lobo, who explicitly chose 117 W. Slade for its intimate, historic vibe and its history as Mac’s on Slade dailyherald.com dailyherald.com. The venue expanded into additional adjoining space (previously an office and the hair salon) to create a larger footprint for performances dailyherald.com. Alongside, My Flavor It! Place continues to scoop ice cream to locals and families, capitalizing on the foot traffic and charm of the location thepalatinestation.com. Together, these businesses make The Palatine Station a day-and-night destination – ice cream in the afternoon and live music in the evening – much like the firehouse once served multiple community needs.

In December 2025, the property changed ownership again. The new owners, Ben Kastein and Phil Volini, have embraced the site’s history in marketing and naming. They introduced the moniker “The Palatine Station” to celebrate the building’s past as a train-era fire station while positioning it as a hub for today’s downtown activity. Under this banner, they hope to continue raising the building’s profile and to once again make it the center of Downtown Palatines community hub.

Local Significance and Legacy

117 W. Slade Street’s legacy in Palatine is multi-faceted. Architecturally, it is a survivor – one of the few historic municipal buildings in downtown Palatine still standing in recognizable form. It anchors the west end of the downtown core, directly tying present-day Palatine to its early-20th-century civic layout. The fact that the building served as Village Hall (albeit in an earlier structure) and the main fire station links it to countless decisions, dramas, and community milestones in Palatine’s history. Every major event or alarm in town from the 1940s through 1981 had some connection to this site, whether it was firefighters racing out of the Slade Street bays to an emergency or residents gathering in the upstairs hall for civic dances or fundraisers.

Several notable events are associated with the site: the tragic 1946 train collision that claimed two firefighters’ lives is memorialized just outside. The annual firefighter memorial ceremonies held at Brockway/Slade (in view of the old station) underscore how the location remains a touchstone for community remembrance palatine.il.us patch.com. The Ben Franklin store fire of 1973, although elsewhere downtown, is indirectly part of the Slade Street station’s story as it was the ultimate catalyst for closing the old firehouse and professionalizing the department dailyherald.com chicagoareafire.com. In lighter history, the building has seen everything from early church services (St. Theresa’s Catholic parish held its first Mass on the second floor of the old village hall in 1930 sttheresachurch.org) to quirky promotions (like a 1960s helicopter ping-pong ball drop by nearby retailers palatinehistoricalsociety.com) to haunted houses and holiday events. Each layer of use added to its lore.

Today, The Palatine Station stands as a model of adaptive reuse – weaving the past into the present. The exterior still evokes its firehouse days (and indeed retains some of the classic brickwork and form), while the interior buzzes with commerce and culture. The building’s successful conversion has also helped maintain the human scale and historic ambiance of downtown Palatine. In an era when many old fire stations have been demolished or sit idle, Palatine’s choice to convert rather than remove the Slade Street station in the 1980s has paid dividends in preserving local heritage. The site is often included in historical walking tours and was cited in the village’s development plans as a key historic landmark worth preserving palatinehistoricalsociety.com.

In summary, the property at 117 W. Slade Street encapsulates a full trajectory of community history: from public safety hall to public marketplace, from the ringing of the fire bell to the ringing of electric guitars on stage. Its architectural bones (built strong in 1942–43) have proven remarkably flexible, accommodating changing needs while holding memories of old Palatine. As of the mid-2020s, with its new branding and vibrant tenants, The Palatine Station continues to “connect” Palatine’s past with its present, ensuring that this historic address remains, as its current owners put it, “the heart of Downtown Palatine, remembered and reimagined.”thepalatinestation.com thepalatinestation.com

Sources and References

Palatine Historical Society – Historical blog and archives: Old Village Hall entry (June 26, 2012) palatinehistoricalsociety.com; “Palatine Shopping Centers” chronology (2025) palatinehistoricalsociety.com; Historic Building Plaques listing (2020) palatinehistoricalsociety.com.
Village of Palatine – Official records: Palatine Fire Dept. Line of Duty Death Memorial description (2025) palatine.il.us.
Daily Herald (Paddock Publications) – Historic news photos and articles: “#TBT Gallery – Palatine” (May 11, 2017) dailyherald.com; Elena Ferrarin, “New restaurant/bar with live music coming to Palatine” (Dec 15, 2020) dailyherald.com dailyherald.com.
Patch.com (Palatine Patch) – Local news: Palatine Chamber ribbon cutting for The Dance Loft (Jan 10, 2018) patch.com; Eric DeGrechie, “Memorial Ceremony Honors Palatine Firefighters Killed In 1946” (Sep 29, 2025) patch.com.
ChicagoAreaFire.com blog – Fire Department history: “Palatine Fire Department history” (Feb 2016) chicagoareafire.com chicagoareafire.com.
Real estate records – LoopNet/MLS data: Property detail for 117 W. Slade (Cook Co. Parcel ID 02-15-429-002-0000) loopnet.com; @properties commercial listing (2025) allprohomes.com; Realtor.com summary (accessed 2025) realtor.com.
The Palatine Station – Official website: “Station History” page (2023) thepalatinestation.com thepalatinestation.com; Tenant descriptions (2023) thepalatinestation.com.