Palatine Past and Present: Bothwell Street Between Wilson and Parallel

Over the last 100 years, the east side of Bothwell Street between Wilson and Parallel Street has seen many different businesses and uses. 

From at least 1913 to 1934, Rennack's Market sat at the southeast corner of Bothwell and Wilson Streets. Charles Rennack opened and operated the store with his son Carl, which was primarily a meat market that sold other grocery items, located across from what was .

The senior Rennack went on to become president of the State Bank of Palatine, which was located at the southwest corner of Bothwell and Slade Streets, before he passed away in 1936. 

Also in 1913, a livery stable owned and operated by Ira Frye sat at 55 N. Bothwell, just south of Rennack's. Frye was elected Palatine village clerk for eight terms, and also served as the Palatine Township collector. 

In 1920, a shoe store was opened in the stables location, operated by Fred Folleth, and was called Burkhardt's Shoe Store, until 1927.

In the late 1920's, the Dinse family moved their barbershop and pool hall previously located in the basement of the Batterman Building (Brockway at the railroad tracks) and opened a deli and bowling alley called Dinse Recreation at 55 N. Bothwell Street, which existed there from around 1917 until 1945. 

The propery was then sold to one Ed Brockman, and sometime after that, Jack's Old Mexican Inn and Ice Cream Parlor opened, and remained until the early 1970's, when the original Durty Nellie's opened its doors in that same location.

From 1989 until 2003, Nuevo Mexico Restaurant was located in the former Rennack's Market building, and Neuvo Mexico Grocery Store opened in the building adjacent and south.  

Durty Nellie's had a number of different owners in the location , where it stands today. Nuevo Mexico Restaurant was renamed Mexico Uno and moved to 15 N. Brockway and the grocery store closed its doors. 

And in the footprint of those properties today, is a mixed-use, multi-story condominium building with businesses including Salon MMM, Cornerstone Realty and Rock 'n Roll Ala Mode below. 

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to reflect Nuevo Mexico Restaurant and Grocery Store's existence in the former Rennack's Market building and the address directly south. 

Infromation provided by Marilyn Pedersen at the Palatine Historical Society, the book Images of America, Palatine, Illinois and the book Hillside Cemetery, Palatine, Illinois.