The Pink Palace

Towering over Main Street in downtown Freeport, the Pink Palace meshes rich history with modern whimsy. From food and beverage to retail and convenience, the four-story building has seen numerous businesses and countless occupants for over 125 years.

Over time, the building grew progressively weathered and gradually one floor after the next became uninhabited and sat abandoned for decades. In 2018, a young couple native to Freeport purchased the building and set out to restore what once was. 

Since then, the Pink Palace has begun its transformation. Currently, the owners are finishing up the first floor which will house a showroom for Honeychurch - a home goods and furnishings shop. (On Instagram + Etsy: @honeychurchshop)

Built in 1887, the Pink Palace was originally only two stories with a brick façade . Sometime in the years following, renovations added two additional levels, removed the brick façade and installed a Mesker pressed-metal façade on the top three floors. Mesker façades were a common architectural feature in the late 1800s and early 1900s. They are notable for their bright color palettes and ornate designs.

In 2018, Chloe Zuberbuhler + Zachary Peterson moved back to their hometown, Freeport, and purchased the building. Since then they have made improvements throughout the entire place and are focused on the ground floor storefront at present.

On the first floor – which was the remnants of a bakery at closing – the pair have completely gutted the space, exposed the brick walls, leveled the floors, laid new subfloor and hardwood flooring, ran new plumbing and wired new electric. Now they are adding the finishing touches to the space for Chloe’s furniture and home goods shop, Honeychurch. (On Instagram + Etsy @honeychurchshop) The first floor also boasts a dazzling well-preserved tin ceiling that the two have repaired and given a fresh paint job. 

Chloe and Zach gave the façade a major facelift between 2019-2020. During this time, they replaced 18 custom-sized windows on the top three floors, rebuilt the ground level storefront with historic accents and large windows, restored historic Frank Lloyd Wright prismatic Luxfer glass (that was hidden behind paneling and a crawl space), and painted the building a striking Black and blush pink that attributes to its namesake. 

Pre-renovations, each level upstairs was a time capsule. Traces of life are frozen in time from the moment the last person left each space. As Chloe and Zach work their way through, they dig up relics of the past. They have uncovered layers of antiquated wallpaper, salvaged trim moldings and transom windows, and collected an array of bibs and bobs that each tell their own story. 

When the first floor is finished, work will begin to convert the top three residential floors into lofty open-concept apartments. The two hope to preserve and repurpose many historic elements, but let their imaginations run wild in creating the splendiferous Pink Palace. Follow Chloe and Zach’s progress on Instagram @BuildingOnMain.

HISTORIC TIMELINE

1887-1893: Lerche and Pontius (Saloon)

1894-1897: Lerche & Shrenkler (Saloon)

1898-1915: Schrenkler & Cahill (Saloon)

1916-1921: S&S Market House (Meat Market)

1922-1938: E.G. Shinner Company (Meat Market)

1940-1946: Goodrich Silvertown Dime Store (Retail)

1948-1983: Club 26 (Tavern)

1984-1996: Ron’s Club 26 / “Captain Ron’s” (Tavern)

1999-2002: The Loop (Tavern)

2003-2014: Cole’s: A Confectionary (Bakery/Lunch Spot)

2018: Purchased by Stooptown Revival, LLC (Chloe Zuberbuhler + Zach Peterson)

2018-Present: Under renovation for Honeychurch (retail) + residential units above

Zuberbuhler, Chloe. Stooptown Revival LLC.

City of Freeport, IL Directory (multiple volumes between 1880s-1950s).

1861: Freeport City Business Directory and Advertiser for 1861, published by Umberhine & Gustin's, Indianapolis, IN

1867-1868: Freeport City Directory, published by Edwards, Greenough & Deved, St Louis, MO

1868-1868: Freeport City Directory with a Historical and Business Review; also a Business Directory of the different towns in the county, compiled by M W Riley, Published by Kauffman & Burgh, Freeport, IL, 1868

1872-1873: Holland's Freeport City Directory for 1872-73, published by Western Publishing Company, Chicago, IL

1873-1874: Bailey's Freeport Directory 1873-74 (frontice page missing so no publisher info)

1875-1876: Pryor & Co's Freeport City Directory for 1875-6, published by Pryor & Co, Freeport, IL

1876-1877: Gardner & Gaines' Business Directory of Stephenson County for 1876-7, published by Gardner & Gaines, Freeport, IL Sept 1876

1877: Holland's Freeport City Directory for 1877, published by Holland Publishing Company, Chicago, IL, 1877

1884-1885: The Standard Freeport City Directory for 1884-5, published by Kepstine & Co, Clinton, Iowa, Sept 1884

1887-1888: Freeport City Directory 1887-88, published by Wm J Simm, Freeport, IL

1894-1895: Freeport City Directory (frontispiece missing so no publisher info)

1898-1899: Freeport and Stephenson County Directory for 1898-99, compiled by Freeport Directory Company, printed by W H Wagner & Sons, Freeport, IL 1898