Original Dew Chilli parlor in Springfield to be auctioned

The original Dew Chilli location in Springfield, Illinois, will be auctioned online after the regional restaurant chain closed it last year.

Aumann Auctions, which sold the Sonrise Donut neon signs in December, is overseeing the sale. Online bids are being accepted for the building, property and kitchen equipment through 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Here’s what the auction site states about the property:

Approx 2400 Sq/Ft +/-. Multi Use Building has remodeled storefront that offers offstreet parking in the rear and faces 5th street. The real estate also has 3 Bedroom, 1 Bath home that sits behind storefront.

Dew Chilli founder Joe Bockelmann started his company at his house on Sixth Street (aka Route 66) in 1909 until he was evicted. The site on Fifth Street, just a short distance from Route 66, had operated there since 1954 until its closure last fall. The owner cited traffic and parking issues for the closing.

Bockelman died in 1975. Longtime Dew employee Rita Maurer took over the restaurant until 1994, when it closed.

The Lincoln Courier reported:

“It’s exciting to pass the torch and see what the next chapter holds,” said Mark Roberts III, who in 2014 revived the Dew Chilli name after purchasing rights to the business, which included Bockelmann’s signature recipe and the 1216 S. Fifth St. property.

“It’s great to see the Dew brand alive with the new owners. And after sitting empty over the winter, I decided it’s time to see what the future holds for the building.” […]

And while the Dew name is no longer legally attached to the property, the historic Springfield chili brand’s history is literally written in the structure.

Bockelmann left hand-written notes – recipes, inventory and sales information, even a detailed tally of dine-in versus take-out orders — throughout the residential side of the building inscribed on the walls and woodwork.

“He left a time capsule throughout the house, written on the walls,” Roberts said.

Other Dew Chilli locations may be found at 2312 Wabash Ave. (a 1926-1930 alignment of Route 66), 301 N. Grand Ave. West and 2690 S. Dirksen Parkway, another 66 alignment.

The “chilli” spelling is native to Springfield and often is credited to Bockelmann, although other vendors used the spelling as well.

Like Cincinnati, Springfield long has enjoyed a reputation as being a hotbed for chili. Springfield calls itself the “Chilli Capital of the World.” Springfield residents reputedly eat more chili per capita than anywhere else.

(Image of the Dew Chilli building on Fifth Street via Aumann Auctions)

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