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Pheasant Run memorabilia will be available in online auction

The decor, the memorabilia, the fixtures along Bourbon Street all contributed to the lure and charm of the iconic Pheasant Run Resort.

An online auction next week now offers an opportunity for those who want to preserve the history and re-create the ambience of the decades-old St. Charles hotel and entertainment hub that ceased operations earlier this year.

Thousands of items will be up for bid Monday through Thursday, ranging from kitchenware and merchandise to appliances and furniture. Historic photos, old advertisements, signs and wall hangings also are included in the collection, with many of the pieces featuring the resort's signature logo of a pheasant.

"You can just feel the history as you're walking through the facility," said Ben Grafe of Grafe Auction, which is coordinating the online bidding process. "It's a good opportunity for people in the area to maybe get a memento to cherish their memories."

A pre-bidding period is currently open to the public, he said, noting participants must first create an account. Each item, or group of items, has been given a lot number and posted on the auction website.

Interested buyers will be able to preview and inspect the more than 3,000 pieces in person at Pheasant Run from 2 to 6 p.m. Sunday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Grafe said.

Starting Monday morning, each lot will be brought up in numerical order, giving 20 seconds for any last-minute bids before it closes, Grafe said. Bidding will continue one by one over the four days until auctioneers reach the end of the collection.

The first day will include pieces from the New Orleans ballroom, as well as various restaurants and food service areas, according to the website. Tuesday will feature commercial food equipment, dishware and materials from the banquet hall, hotel lobby and main theater area.

Items from the gift shop and Zanies Comedy Club will kick off the auction Wednesday, followed by fixtures from Bourbon Street, the spa, the atrium, the fitness center, the pro shop and rooms in the hotel tower. On the final day, pieces will be available from the tower lobby, the remainder of the hotel, offices, Gallery Hall, basement rooms and the landscaping area, among other miscellaneous items.

The 57-year-old Pheasant Run shut down March 1 after several months of uncertainty and speculation over its future. Resort management announced plans late last year to restructure operations and significantly reduce its staff, and the property was listed for sale soon after. An online auction took place in February, though the final $6 million bid did not meet the resort's undisclosed reserve price.

Property owners are now proposing dividing the campus into three separate lots to help facilitate its potential sale and redevelopment. St. Charles officials have expressed a desire to partner with any future buyer and help revitalize the eastern gateway to the city.

Pheasant Run operators contacted Grafe Auction early in the year seeking their assistance in the closing and liquidation process, Grafe said. His company then went through the entire resort, creating a catalog of items to be sold.

"We know it's difficult for a community to lose a place like this," Grafe said. "We hope everyone who wants to can show up for the preview, walk around, look at pieces, and we can make this as smooth a process as possible."

Questions about the auction can be directed to Ben Grafe at (507) 273-3507 or Judd Grafe at (507) 254-1184.

Thousands of pieces of memorabilia from the iconic Pheasant Run Resort, including its replica of Bourbon Street, will be up for auction next week. Daily Herald file photo
  An online auction next week will feature thousands of pieces from the shuttered Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles. Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com
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