Plan to convert historic bank building into restaurant could be ‘a major change for the downtown,’ Des Plaines officials say

This building at 678 Lee St. in downtown Des Plaines will be renovated and turned into a restaurant under a multimillion-dollar plan approved Tuesday by the city council. Paul Valade/pvalade@dailyherald.com, 2024

Des Plaines City Council members on Tuesday enthusiastically approved a multimillion-dollar deal to convert a historic downtown building into a restaurant.

“This is something to be excited about,” 2nd Ward Alderman Colt Moylan said.

The agreement with local restaurateur David Villegas’ 10 Scents company covers the renovation of the three-story, marble building at 678 Lee St., as well as the lease for the space and its future operations. The pact specifies a 15-year lease with two optional five-year extensions.

Completed in 1927, the roughly 18,000-square-foot building spent m