Chateau Louise - 1961 - 1984

The Chateau Louise

1961 to 1984
West Dundee, Illinois

Philip A. Aleo



The Chateau Louise

1961 to 1984
West Dundee, Illinois

Copyright 2009 Philip A. Aleo

ISBN 978-1-61658-584-6

Published By Aleo Publications,
Division of P.F.C. Supply Co. Inc.
P.O. Box 1085
Dundee IL 60118

Printed in the United States of America
By Carlith, LLC — Carpentersville IL
Fourth Printing—2012

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permis-
sion in writing from author and or appropriate creditor.

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Table Of Contents

PAGE DESCRIPTION

5 LETTER OF APPRECIATION
6 FOX RIVER VALLEY IN THE 1960’S

7 IN THE BEGINNING

12 TRANSFORMATION OF THE COACH
18 PHOTO HISTORY OF THE CHATEAU LOUISE
44 ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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The Chateau Louise holds a special place in the hearts of
thousands of people who had the opportunity to visit and partake of the
uniqueness and grandeur of this one-of-a-kind Restaurant / Lounge /
Hotel / Resort.

It is because of one man in particular, that the Chateau Louise
came into existence. That man, although having perhaps one of the
most common names in the English language, is truly a unique man in
every other way. His name—Don Smith.

The character and personality of the Chateau Louise developed
and came into being because of Don. With no experience what-so-ever
in the Restaurant or hotel business, he quickly proved to be a contender
who wasn’t afraid to take on and compete against the then known giants
of the industry. Not only did he compete, he won! The Chateau became
one of the most popular facilities of it’s kind in the nation, successfully
competing against the Wagon Wheel, a highly successful resort in
Rockton, Illinois, the Pheasant Run in Saint Charles, Illinois and the
Abby, located just north of the border in Wisconsin.

It is because of Mr. Smith that I am able to produce and share
this documented history of the Chateau Louise. He and his wife Jackie
invited me into their home in Texas for an extended time and shared
with me hundreds of photos, as well as written history of the entire life-
time of the Chateau. This extraordinary experience will hold a place in
my heart till the day I die. Without a doubt, my appreciation of the
Chateau Louise grew one hundredfold!

Thank you Jackie and Don for your kindness, hospitality and
willingness to share treasured memories of the Chateau Louise.

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Chateau Louise

In the 1960s, the United States population was booming and
leisure travel along with it. Chicagoans were moving into the western
suburbs. The Fox River Valley including the town of Dundee was in the
path of that expansion. In addition, life styles were changing. People
were on the move and pressed for time. Eating out was no longer a
luxury, it was becoming a way of life. Chain restaurants and fast food
were popping up on street corners all over the United States. There was
talk of the four day work week that never materialized. In fact, the
extended weekend inn was growing in popularity. This gave birth to the
Resort Motor Inn mini vacation. The Fox River Valley was right out
side of Chicago's population emigrating west. The competition was
going to be greater than anyone imagined. The Wagon Wheel, a highly
successful resort in Rockton, Illinois was already a popular resort. Just
20 miles South in St. Charles, Illinois, a 300 acre resort, dinner theater
and golf course named the Pheasant Run was being planned. 30 miles to
the north, a $3 Million Dollar resort named the Abby, was in construc-
tion. It would not only offer a golf course, but promoted the first indoor
outdoor pool and dinner theater. The under funded, under financed and
undersized Chateau Louse was going to have to find a unique
competitive advantage to succeed.

The Chateau was located 35 Miles from Chicago’s Loop, 19
Miles from O'Hare International Airport and 40 Miles from Rockford,

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Illinois. Business growth in the
Fox River Valley provided oppor-
tunities for the remodeled resort.
Santa’s Village was being con-
structed across the river on Rt. 25.
Buffalo Park, a small ski area was
within a five minute drive from
the Inn. The Meadowdale Race
Track and Arlington Park Race
Track were also just short drives
away.

While area demographics looked promising, the site for
the motel and restaurant did not. The problem was summed up by the
great hotelman Elton Statler when he was asked for the three most
critical success ingredients for the lodging business; his answer,
“Location, Location, Location”. The site for the development was not
only hidden from the traveling public, management was unable to
advertise on the Tollway. President Lyndon Johnson’s wife, Ladybird,
spearheaded her pet “Beautify America” project that prohibited
billboards along the interstate highways. The partners choice of location
was going to be a challenge to overcome as long as the Chateau Louise
existed.

The original restaurant had 90 seats and there were 17 guest
rooms. The restaurant and guest rooms were carved out of a 125 foot
diary barn that was originally constructed in 1925. The 5 acre project,
named the Sleepy Hollow Motel, was to be the center piece of a real
estate development owned by one of the developers, Floyd Falese. The
restaurant was named for Louise Polivka, the wife of LaGrange Dairy-
man John Polivka, who provided the capital for the development. The
third partner, Ray Gillilan, agreed to contribute a sum equal to the value
of his 30 percent ownership from construction supervision, and sales.

Floyd Falese was a developer, restaurateur and colorful area

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promoter. He was a partner in Floyds, a successful dinner house less
than a mile to the north on Rt. 31. The hundreds of acres immediately
west of the barn belonged to Floyd and would one day become the
village of Sleepy Hollow.

Floyd Falese Floyd Falese recognized the bene-

Drawing by Don Smith fit of having a prominent motel at the

entrance of his new residential develop-

ment. However, there was a conflict of

interest as he had to be certain the Sleepy

Hollow Motel and Restaurant did not in-
terfere with Floyd’s Restaurant sales. This

influenced his decision to limit the Sleepy
Hollow Motel’s menu and kitchen. Hard

as it is to believe, when the Sleepy Hollow

Motel and Restaurant opened, dinner
guest’s orders were phoned into Floyds,

where they were prepared and driven the

mile back to the barn and served.

Arial view of the Sleepy Hollow Motel and Restaurant in 1961. The winding
road behind the building is Willow Lane and the highway
in front of the motel is Route 31.

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To bolster lagging sales, Floyd instituted a diners club which
only amplified the disappointment of guests. The restaurant closed
before the year ended. The motel and lounge remained open although
operating in the red. By the end of 1962 the annual cash flow loss was
over $34,000. It didn’t take long for the partners to have a falling out.
John and Louise Polivka became the sole owners of the Sleepy Hollow
Motel.

What were they to do with this business that up till now, had
not provided the financial means to even support itself? Stand up
please, Mr. Jack Polivka. Jack Polivka set upon fulfilling his parents
dream. He was committed to do whatever was necessary to creating the
finest Inn and restaurant in the Fox Valley. Considering the restaurant
competition, this was no small challenge. There were four award
winning restaurants within three miles of The Sleepy Hollow Motel; the
Evergreens, the Milk Pail, Floyd’s and the Anvil Club. Chains had not
penetrated the dinner house segment, nor the casual dining. Trying to
please his mother, Jack named the entire project for her. Both the motel
and restaurant were to be called the “Chateau Louise”.

It was going to take more than a face lift, and Jack knew it.
Jacks fist step was to turn to Allen Kaplan of Michigan State
University’s Hotel Restaurant School. Mr. Kaplan identified the steps
Jack would have to take. It was going to be expensive. It was Kaplan

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that convinced Jack the Chateau Louise should feature a Country
French menu, rather than a home style menu which would compete
head-on with the popular Milk Pail across the Fox River. This concept
set the theme for the restaurant and motel. Other recommendations
included sound-proofing the 17 guest rooms in the barn loft; new
central air in the restaurant; a 60’ by 80’ fire proof kitchen; a swimming
pool; highway sign and all new furniture and fixtures throughout. Jack
asked the consultant to find a manager that could implement the plan.
Unfortunately, after a search, no graduate wanted to accept the
challenge.

He called upon two celebrated talents of the day, Architect Les
Larson and interior decorator, Marion Heuer to reconstruct the new
Chateau.

There remained only one piece of the development puzzle
unsolved; the Head Coach. The problem was; no experienced manager
wanted to risk their career on Jack’s dream. Again they turned to
Michigan State University for help, but try as they would, no experi-
enced hotelman wanted the challenge of resuscitating a failed motel
with, or at least not at the annual salary of $11,000.

Frustrated with the professional manager search, Jack began
frantically looking outside the industry for a General Manager. A
mutual friend, Bart Main suggested he talk with a young football coach
who was making a name for himself as the head coach of Glenbard
East’s High School in nearby Lombard, Illinois. Maine had worked
with a man, named Don Smith, in the Public Relations Department of
the Chicago Motor Club and considered him to be a highly personable
and dynamic leader. Jack was also familiar with Don from his playing
days, he was one of the All-Conference guards on the Illini’s
outstanding 1950 football team. He called the 33 year old coach and
suggested that he and his wife Jackie have dinner to discuss a
proposition. The dinner was entertaining and flattering to the young
coach, but he had no business experience, let alone familiarity with
lodging. He knew nothing about food or cooking. It simply was too big
a career shift to take for a man with a wife and five children.

Somehow he had managed to maintain an adequate life style for
the family on his meager $10,000 a year teaching and coaching salary.
During the football season, the sport occupied 110 percent of Don’s

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time, but afterwards he managed by taking part time jobs whenever
they came along. He was a janitor for his brother on weekends, taught
drivers education, policed the high school halls every morning and
delivered mail in the summer. Nothing was too difficult for the Coach.
These jobs would usually net the family another $1,200 annually.

A Once in a Lifetime Phone Call

Don had just finished a third successful season at Glenbard

East when he received a call from Illini team mate and friend, Jim

Valek. Jim was head coach at the LaSalle Peru High School. Don was

his line coach for four years. He informed Don the he had just accepted

the position of Head

Coach at the Univer-

sity of Illinois and

wanted Don to join

him. It was one of
Don’s greatest ambi-

tions to return to

Champaign and coach

for his alma mater.

However he would

have to take a cut in

pay. In the mean-

while, Jack Polivka

did not give up. He

met with Don twice Don talking with team members while holding the

only to be given the position of Line Coach at LaSalle Peru

same answer, “NO.” High School

The Fourth Time’s The Charm.
Jack Polivka was not used to being turned down. He called

Don and Jackie for one last dinner before he gave up. Don explained;
“We were so tired of his persistence, my wife and I agreed to see what

more he would offer, ask him for more money than he was willing to
pay ($15,000) and forget the whole thing. This dinner was to be a
turning point in the Smith family’s lives. Here was the offer. First, Jack

committed to making Don a partner in the business. Second, he would
give the family a half acre lot upon which to build a home in Sleepy

Hollow. Last he asked Don how much he needed in salary to make the
career move. With a lump in his throat and not allowing Polivka to see

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him sweat, Don said $15,000 dollars. Jack put out his hand to shake
Don’s and said, “We have a deal. Welcome to the Chateau Louise.” It
was finalized and Don moved from the gridiron to the griddle.

Don Smith’s rule about learning anything, whether football,
food service or teaching is, “Learn from winners.” As a coach he was a
student of Ray Eliot, the great head coach at the University of Illinois.

With that in mind, he set upon identifying a most successful
entrepreneur, “Win” Schuler of Michigan fame. He and Jack Polivka
were familiar with the original Schuler restaurant in Marshall, Michi-
gan. In many respects it was similar in character to the Chateau Louise.
It was located in an ‘out of the way’ town, personality driven and was
inspired by old world hospitality. Coincidentally, Win was a former
football player, coach and teacher.

All it took was one phone call to Mr. Schuler and Don and Jack
were on their way to Marshall to meet the man. “I will never forget that
day as long as I live,” said Don Smith. We arrived about 10 a.m. and
spent the next 9 hours talking, walking and mostly observing this
extraordinary man do his magic of turning strangers into friends. He
greeted every guest as they entered. What was most remarkable was
how many he could call by name. As Jack and Don were leaving, Mr.
Schuler broke away from a meeting with Governor Romney to say
goodbye. His parting words were, “I can’t teach you anything in one
short day Don. Why don't you come back and spend some time working
here.”

The following Monday, Don was back, suitcase in hand ready
for the most incredible crash course anyone could have. During the next
two months, Don lost 27 pounds and went through the souls of a pair of
shoes eaten away from kitchen floor acid. He said no twice-a-day
summer football practice was ever so exhausting.

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A feature article on Don Smith in Cirascope Magazine November, 1965

**Schuler's Restaurant & Pub in Marshall, Michigan opened in 1909 and is still in
business at the time of this printing in 2009. The restaurant is operated by a 4th gen-
eration Schuler. In 1987 Schuler's received The Restaurant Business "Top 100
Award" and it has a 3 diamond rated by the AAA. In 1989, Schuler's had won its 37th
consecutive Travel Holiday Fine Dining Award.

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Win Schuler personally coached Don and saw that he gained
experience in every function of the business. He prepped food, tended
bar, worked with Win’s accountant and Vice President, Michael Hurst,
in cost control. He worked two shifts without a day off. In the wee
hours of the morning, he would join the night crew of Michigan State
interns at Dines, their favorite watering hole. He listened, asked ques-
tions and began to learn the vocabulary of the business.

It didn’t take long to understand the reason for Mr. Schuler’s
success. It was his single-minded focus on guest satisfaction and
building relationships with strangers. To the novice, this simple
statement might sound like a cliché. However, to Don Smith, it became
clear that all decisions were founded in the effect it had upon the guest.
Added to that, Mr. Schuler had the gift of total recall! In all Don’s
many years of meeting people in the business of hospitality … he has
not met anyone as gifted as Win Schuler when it came to guest
recognition.

Remember Their Names or Draw Their Picture
Of all the sage advice offered by the great entrepreneur,

“remember their names” was the most important. Believe it or not, if
Win was introduced to a guest once, he could not only remember that
guest’s name, but from where they came and what they did for a living
… 5 years later! Make no mistake, feeding the ego was the marketing
ice on Win Schuler’s recipe for marketing his restaurant. However,
dining at Schuler’s was always an experience with or without the icing.

Don was going to return to Dundee and put what he had learned
into action. Schuler gave him his recipes, service system, and opera-
tional fundamentals. More importantly, the two men had other things in
common. First, both he and Schuler were athletes and both coached
football. Nothing hones one’s leadership, communication and planning
skills better. In addition, Win Schuler was an artist with people; he
exuded a magnetism that instantly created a trust with strangers.

The problem was that Don didn’t have the recall ability that
Win had. Without the gift of total recall, it would never be his point of
difference. Although Don didn’t have the gift of recall, he did have a
talent that would prove to be just as good. He was a natural portrait
artist. Don had sketched faces since he was a small boy and had become
quite good at creating flattering likeness of people. Armed with one

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semester of art at Austin High School, he was admitted to the Fine and
Applied Art School at the University of Illinois in 1947.

Don used his talent to set the Chateau Louise apart from all the
competition. He worked on remembering names and did well, but his
300 drawings of guests on his “Wall of Fame” drew customers past the
doors of the competition.

Don presenting his pencil portrait to Governor Kerner in 1967.
Whenever a celebrity was presented a drawing, a press release
followed. At least 3 public personalities dined at the restaurant each
week. This was excellent P. R. for the Chateau.

THE BREAKFAST CLUB: The men in the picture showed up for
breakfast almost every morning.

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A Restaurant is like a canvas that provides the artist /
restaurateur an opportunity to express himself. In this case, Don’s art,
love of history, leadership and desire to please people were going to
give the Chateau Louise the ability to compete with the giants. How?
First, he established an image for the Chateau Louise. “A chain will
establish an image and each unit motel must follow it closely,” he
says, "but the independent operator has no bounds to what he can do.
He creates his own image.”

“We have created our own identity at Chateau Louise as a
place where people can come not just to eat, not just to stay overnight,
but to linger and have fun." On weekends, Chicagoans and suburban-
ites, including many professional people not on call, come to the Cha-
teau Louise to enjoy an escape weekend from the kids, from house-
hold chores, from meal making and the telephone. On weekdays, the
same away-from-it-all atmosphere lures sales traffic, much of it from
highly industrialized Elgin nearby and also road traffic from the toll-
way.

Smith firmly believed that the customer is king. “He must
have individualized service,” he said. “A restaurant is really a
purchaser, manufacturer, sales department, collection agency and
complaint department all wrapped up in one, waiting to find out what
the customer wants.” The bottom line: the customer is treated like a
king,

Were Don Smith's idea's successful? In 1963 and again in
1964, The Chateau Louise was presented with the coveted “Dinner of
the Year Award” by the Chicago and Illinois Wine and Food Society.
Up until that time, no restaurant had ever received that award two
years in a row. The Chateau was well on its way of becoming a land-
mark that was respected throughout the country as being an eloquent
five star restaurant and Inn.

In the middle 1960's, the restaurant entertained over 6,000
guests per week. By 1969 the former high school coach had created a
22 acre complex with four distinctive restaurants, each with its own
menu and finishing kitchen, five bars (three with entertainment), a
dinner theater, pool, shops and banquet facilities for 500.

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According to Horwath & Horwath, the Chateau Louise held the
eighth highest food service sales volume in Chicago. The Chateau's
sales in 1969 exceeded $2,100,000. (equivalent to $12,871,000 in
2011).

In January 1970, while Don was in the process of adding 156
guest rooms, a fire broke out in one of the meeting rooms that destroyed
the Chateau Louise. Although short of capital and exhausted, he began
rebuilding the restaurant and inn with the help of a new partner, Burton
Brown, founder of Gaslight Clubs. Unfortunately, that partnership was
to last less than a year. Don sold to Gaslight Incorporated in 1973.

The Chateau Louise continued to be an icon for a short time,
but it wasn't the same. Without it's heart and soul, namely Don Smith,
the Chateau eventually entered into a downward trend that eventually
led to its closure in 1984. Although it lasted for only about 24 years. It
is indelibly inscribed in the hearts of all those that had the privilege of
experiencing her charm and grandeur.

As I researched the history of the Chateau, it became evident
that it had a unique character and personality that had never existed in a
prior establishment, nor one that would ever be exactly duplicated
again, by anybody! The reason: nothing about the resort was ordinary
or common. It developed a character and personality that was extraordi-
nary and very special. Although I had the privilege of being a patron of
the Chateau, I never fully appreciated all the idiosyncrasies that made it
unique. I'm so thankful that Don Smith, now residing in Texas, allowed
me time to visit with him and his family. During our visit and inter-
view, he kindly allowed me the unique privilege of scanning in and util-
izing his storehouse of photos. Because of his sharing this information
with me, the Chateau Louise has not only a place in our hearts and
memories, but also is historically preserved on the printed page.

The following photo history is put in a chronological order
according to date, starting with the original endeavor of the Sleepy
Hollow Motel, and then the ever changing and maturing Chateau
Louise.

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Photo History of the Chateau Louise

Aerial view of the Chateau Louise property and the new Sleepy Hollow
development in the background. (1961)

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The original entrance of the Chateau Louise in 1961.
The original dairy barn built in 1925 proudly announcing its new name

“Chateau Louise” in 1961

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The original Tri Fold

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used by the Chateau in the early 1960’s.

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Chateau Louise in 1963

Chateau’s original bar

Chateau’s original restaurant

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The Chateau Louise experienced a 12 year development program. In the
following photos, the 1969 addition to the south side is being added. This
included the Gift Shop and Nell Gwyn’s Snug, the fourth lounge at the
Chateau Louise. 12” Post beam construction was used throughout.
Note the angle of the wall on the east side of the construction. The wall (not
structural) is set at an angle. This was done intentionally to mimic the look of
the inns and Chateau’s in Europe. Because of their age and settling, many of
the old structures in Europe are angled just as the photo shows. Mr. Smith
wanted to give the impression of this Chateau being a very old chateau just
like its counterparts in Europe.

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The original lobby of the Chateau as it looked in 1962. The Pastisserie
shown to the right sold bread and pasties baked at the Chateau Louise.

In 1966, the Chateau purchased this bus from the London Transport Com-
pany. It quickly became a familiar feature of the Chateau Louise. When it
wasn’t parked in front of the resort, it was being used in parades as well as
actual transportation by the Chateau for different groups coming from
Chicago and other locations.

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The Wall of Fame Room

Over the years, Don Smith created pencil portraits of celebrities and his
loyal guests. In this photo, Chuck Petitt, the general manager of the Elgin
Radio station admires some of Don’s work.

Over 320 drawings lined the walls of the main lounge.

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1967 Chateau Menu offering a variety of dining choices

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Le Boeuf opened in 1965

The prices in the 1960’s were a far cry from current costs!
Filet Mignon—66 cents per ounce! 12oz Filet $7.92

Live Maine Lobster $8.95

Steak & Lobster $7.95

By the way, the cost of a hotel room at the Chateau in 1963

was $7.00 per night!

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Page 30

The Galleon Room opened in1967

How would you like to be able to travel the world and dine at the finest of
restaurants? If you had dined at the Chateau Louise, you would have had the
opportunity of sampling the very finest of sea food dishes in the country. Note
the red banners on the ceiling posts. These represent restaurants that Don
Smith actually dined at to experience their dining cuisine. With the permis-
sion and blessing of the various owners, he added their finest dishes to his
menu, crediting the restaurants from where they originated. Some of Amer-
ica’s most famous Sea Food restaurants provided Don with the recipes of
their most featured items. A number of these restaurants were Anthony’s Pier
Four in Boston, Sonny Look’s in Houston, Win Schuler’s in Michigan and
Bookbinders.

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Garden of the Beer Tree opened in 1972

The pipes bringing up the beer from the basement to the other levels of the
Chateau ran through the floors and up through the ceiling. Don decided to
conceal these in an artificial tree. So he had the tree constructed around the
pipes and spigots, hence the name “Garden of the Beer Tree.”

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L’Office

L’Office was a men’s luncheon club. A man could come here, eat and also
do his work. Every table had a phone on it. You would never be rushed out
and, if your wife called and asked you where you were, you could honestly
say: “At the Office.”

Le Club

To be initiated into Le Club, you needed to drink down without coming up
for air a half yard (32 oz) of beer, as shown here in these photographs. If you
did it, your tie was cut in half and put onto the board with your name
attached.

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This 1962 Cadillac Limo was purchased from the Montgomery Ward Family.

When there were parades in town, the Chateau was represented. In this
photo, Don Smith’s daughter, Keri, was riding the Chateau Louise horse
while dressed in the Chateau suit of armor.

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In order for a restaurant to succeed, it needs to have great food! The
Chateau excelled in this. In 1963 and again in 1964, the Chateau Louise was
presented with the coveted “Dinner the Year Award” by the Chicago and
Illinois Wine and Food Society.

Lobster & Crab Therm

Fresh Fruit Salad Pastry Breads

Salad Julienne

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During the years 1961 to 1973,
the maximum party size of the
Chateau was just 150 people.
There were times when they
didn’t have enough room
indoors for extra large parties.
No problem! They simply
moved the party outside.
Catered tent parties were com-
mon.

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This was the Honeymoon Suite. As these photos suggest, it was very
elegant. There was even a heart-shaped bathtub in the bathroom!

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The Chateau Louise featured European tiered suites.
This room was Suite No. 2.

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In January of 1971, a devastating fire destroyed much of the Chateau Louise.

Page 39

The Banquet Hall that was constructed after the fire.
This room was large enough to cater to
500 guests at a time.

Nell Gwyn's Snug

Page 40

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The indoor pool along with a shallow pool for youngsters surrounded by
hotel rooms and a vast indoor activity area.

The outdoor pool was always a be-hive of activity, especially on those hot
humid days the Chicagoland area is known for in July and August.

The Chateau Theatre

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A panoramic view of the Chateau in the early 1980’s. For those

Looking north—northwest on Route 31 in Dundee, circa 1967. The Chateau
bus and original motel rooms are seen to the left along with the filled parking
lot. This photo, compared to the panoramic view above, clearly portrays the
growth, development and success of the Chateau.

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of us old enough to remember, this is the Chateau that we miss.

HAPPY MEMORIES !!

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phil Aleo is the author of
Dundee Township-Moments Frozen In Time,
The Midwest Motorsport Legend, Meadowdale Raceways,

and The Strater Hotel Story.

.

Visit Phil Aleo’s website at:
www.aleopublications.com