Editorial: Oh, for the rescue of the Mineola, a faded beauty

Sometime after the last drink is poured tonight, the lights will be turned off and the door locked for what might be the last time at the old Mineola Hotel in Fox Lake.

Closed indefinitely in a court settlement over a host of structural safety issues, could this be the end of the line for the “Grand Old Lady of the Lakes?”

We hope not.

We hope owner Pete Jakstas’ decision to put the old gal up for national auction on eBay pans out and snags an investor who will spend some money to fix her up and save her for the next generation to enjoy.

It’s no secret that after 128 years, this faded beauty queen is showing her age. However, despite the disrepair, the peeling paint and the structural problems that have developed in a building well past its prime, the Mineola is a true Lake County landmark.

If we’ve learned anything over time, it’s that those jewels don’t come along very often. Like Farman’s Hotel, which once stood on the shores of Lake Zurich, when they’re gone, all that’s left are pictures and memories.

The Mineola’s story and its colorful history are well known to most Lake County residents, especially anyone who lives near or uses the Chain O’ Lakes.

Built in 1884, it was once the largest wooden structure in Illinois, and was named to the National Register of Historic Places by the United States Department of Interior and Parks in 1979.

It has been a fixture along Mineola Bay — at one time a grand hotel that played host to conventions and weddings. It was a popular weekend retreat for the well-to-do, including Al Capone and other mobsters in the years leading up to the early 1920s.

However, those days have long passed.

Since the early 1960s, the upper floors of the hotel have been closed because of safety issues. Only the restaurant and lounge on the ground floor had been open.

Now that’s closed, leaving behind only the marina and some real concern that a piece of Lake County history might soon be lost forever.

We’re not suggesting that preserving the Mineola should be the role of government in Lake County. It’s no secret that local governments have had a tough enough time in recent years maintaining services and balancing budgets.

Taking on what will almost surely be an expensive project to renovate the Mineola is not and should not be in the cards.

But think of the possibilities of a rejuvenated hotel or a bed and breakfast and a restaurant and lounge catering to tourists and boaters. Wouldn’t that support Fox Lake’s goal to get people off the water and spending money?

Maybe there’s some well-funded entrepreneur out there with a love of history and architectural beauty and a vision for how to breathe some life into a faded beauty and make her glamorous once again.