Get a taste of the Past.
Experience the rebirth of a Historic Landmark: Banging Gavel Brews is bringing a Brewpub to The Vogt Building, Downtown Tinley Park, IL.
Stories from our research and talking with local historians and residents of the building. Some facts, some fiction, but all quite interesting.
The 2-story, brick, Italianate-style building at the corner of Oak Park Avenue (Originally called “Bachelor Grove Road”) and Hickory Street consists of a limestone foundation, likely from Joliet, and brick from Blue Island—since it was right on the Rock Island Railroad line. It has two wrap around porches on the front. At the time, anyone passing by couldn’t help but stop in their tracks to take in the site.
It was built by two brothers, John and Allen Lewis to be used as a hunting lodge, and later used to establish the Lewis Institute, which merged with the Armour Institute in 1940 (later known as Chicago’s Illinois Institute of Technology). They owned the land for 11 years and sold it to Vogt’s father-in-law in 1868.
It has been said that it was built in 1872, but the local historian, Brad Bettenhausen, uncovered it was likely to actually be 1865.
The town was originally called New Bremen. It became the Village of Tinley Park in 1890.
A soda pop bottling operation was in the basement of the building from 1901-03.
The building was converted into four apartment units.
Tinley's former mayor, Kenneth Fulton, was born in the house.
Julia Fulton was grazed by a stray bullet that ricocheted off the railroad tracks while sitting on the front porch.
The building was added to the national register for National Historic Landmarks.
The apartments were converted into office suites.
