Future Duluth Restaurant Site?

The storage building formerly used by New Dawn Theater Company to store props might be a potential restaurant site in downtown Duluth. The building was gutted but not torn down during the on the Old City Hall Block, now being called The Block.

Another building that formerly housed Boudreaux’s Cajun Market and The Boiler Room at Main Street and Ga. Hwy. 120 was torn down along with a covered alleyway that connected the storage facility to the theater.

The Boudreaux’s/Boiler Room building was demolished to accommodate realignment of Ga. Hwy. 120 and to provide additional downtown parking. Plans include joining the front and rear parking lots and adding landscaping.

The side of the former storage building faces Ga. Hwy. 120. With an estimated 20,000 vehicles passing by the storage building daily it might possibly be used for a restaurant. It already has parking. The building contains about 5,000 square feet of space.

An architectural consultant is scheduled to present options for refurbishing the storage building at the next council work session Aug. 27 along with a concept design for turning the open alleyway into a pedestrian walkway.

Councilwoman Marsha Bomar suggested that the city enlist an expert to advise the city on what kind of business would work there and whether the building could be leased at market value so the council can make a decision on funding improvements.

At the same work session, Duluth Planning Director Glenn Coyne presented revised plans for realigning Ga. Hwy. 120 to improve traffic flow. The council asked to see previous plans for comparison. The city plans to use local funds for the highway project to make it happen sooner.