The City seeks a knowledgeable, experienced, qualified, and capable business for a signature project in the city’s historic district. The City will make available for lease and repurposing as a restaurant, craft brewery, brew-pub, entertainment venue or other like business, the decommissioned fire station located at 269 Main Street, Florence, Kentucky. The City will also consider alternate uses for the facility. The building is located in the Main Street area and is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The city has completed a restoration of the building consistent with the principles laid out in the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Historic Rehabilitation. Restoration of the building included: repair of the historic windows, installation of storm windows, replacing of the previous overhead vehicle door with a glass paneled overhead door, replacement of non-historic exterior doors, construction of a main level addition on the rear of the building that houses restrooms, plumbing and electrical upgrades, installation of a new air handling system for the main level, upgrades to the heating system, and construction of an elevated, open seating area along Main Street. The building has a maximum occupant load of 121 people on the 1,814sq. ft. main level, which could be reduced depending on the final interior space configurations of the lessee. The lower level of the building is proposed to be the site of the commercial kitchen. Because of the historic nature of this building, the interior space on the main floor will permit only minimal disturbance to the historic fabric, including the wood ceiling and ceramic tile walls, when accommodating the tenant finish. Proposals should address this restriction when discussing the potential design and use of the building. This historic site currently has 55 dedicated parking stalls adjacent to the building, with future plans for a connection to public parking at the rear of the property on Youell Street. Public parking is also available directly across Main Street from the facility at Bell Park.
