The Parkview Inn, which was rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2016, will reopen Wednesday morning at its old Route 66 location in Bloomington, Illinois.
The reopening date, set last week, will occur in spite of a vandal who smashed a plate-glass window at the venerable restaurant over the weekend. The restaurant is insured for the damage.
The Bloomington Pantagraph reported:
The landmark neighborhood gathering place at 1003 S. Morris Ave. on the city’s west side will open at 6 a.m. Wednesday.
“We’re going to open up no matter what,” said owner Rick McCormick. “Wednesday is our day.” […]
A lot of old wood, including some boards salvaged from the original building, was added to the new structure to give it a north woods lodge look that complements its setting across Morris Avenue from the park.
According to another Pantagraph article last week:
Two of the dining tables, which have been constructed with reclaimed wood, are dedicated to the Bloomington firefighters and police officers who responded to the fire.
“The firemen who worked on Parkview when it burned down signed (the table) and gave us the ax they used to prepare to enter the building,” said Rick McCormick.
That ax has been embedded in the table top.
It previously was reported the new Parkview Inn also will incorporate Route 66 decor.
The fire in October 2016 caused $300,000 worth of damage. McCormick decided to tear down what little was left and start over, turning it into a $1.1 million project.
McCormick said the menu won’t change from the restaurant’s previous incarnation. It will serve old favorites such as catfish, fried chicken, pizza and hamburgers.
The Parkview, originally built in 1928, sits on a 1930-1940 alignment of Route 66. At the time of the fire, it reportedly was Bloomington’s oldest restaurant that remained in the same site.
(Image from this winter of the new Parkview Inn sign and restaurant in the background by Tom Cherry via Facebook)
Dare one hope there is proper fire prevention equipment in the rebuilt structure.