Pheasant Run Resort, a St. Charles landmark since 1963, was fully demolished in summer 2024 after years of financial struggles and two major fires. Once a hub for events and leisure, the resort’s closure marked the end of an era. Now, the cleared land is set to be redeveloped into a commercial hub with retail and office spaces, revitalizing the city’s eastern side. Residential projects are not planned, but the city created a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district to support new economic growth.

The hotel closed in early 2020 after  57 years of operation. Ultimately, the resort shut down due to the business suffering pre-COVID. When the property management company, O’Donnell Commercial Real Estate, failed to find a buyer for the property as a whole,  different sections of the property were sold off to McGrath Honda and warehouse companies. 

After the property was abandoned in 2020, it caught fire two times: May 2022 (four local teens were charged in this incident, two of whom have been sentenced to probation and community service) and August 2023. 

“Twenty other fire departments had to come in to put out the fire,” Derek Conley, Economic Development Director for the City of St. Charles, said.

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Photo by Nick Temes

No trespassing signs have been set up around the fence barrier at the former Pheasant Run site, a precaution following vandalism and two fires.

The first fire caused major damages to the property, causing the City of St. Charles to declare the building a hazard.

“What happens with buildings of that size that are very vacant and very old, is that anything can go wrong, just because there’s no one there to watch over the building,” Conley said.

The property caught fire again in August 2023. By then, many sections of the resort were beyond repair, leading the City of St. Charles to approve the demolition of the remaining structures. The demolition, which began in the summer of 2024, marked the final chapter of Pheasant Run’s long history.

Now, with the land cleared, the city is looking ahead. Already, two new buildings have been completed, and the city expects further growth in the coming years.

“We actually think it’s going to be a very attractive site for development just because of the front-end jobs on Route 64,” Conley said.

For those who experienced Pheasant Run firsthand, the resort evokes mixed memories.

“I stayed there a few years back and enjoyed the hotel. The golf course was decent too,” senior JT Barret said.

Others had less than positive memories, and are looking forward to the redevelopment of the property.

“It should [have been] shut down because of the fact that they continued to pour well over the safe amount of chlorine [in the resort swimming pool], causing skin rashes,” senior Brayden Alderton said, who stated that he suffered from chlorine rash at a visit to Pheasant Run several years ago.

As St. Charles moves forward with redevelopment plans, Pheasant Run fades further into the past, existing now only as a memory. The new buildings signal a fresh start for the east side of the city, a site once marked by hospitality, now poised for economic growth.