By Eric Curl
Feb. 17, 2023 – Old Town Trolley’s parent company is planning to convert a former parking garage at 234 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard into a restaurant and bar with retail space and a museum.
Historic Tours of America is borrowing from the success of the American Prohibition Museum for the project, with a focus on the heritage and sciences of distilleries, according to the company’s regional manager, Charlie Brazil.
In addition to a 275-seat restaurant, tasting bar, retail shop and package store, there will be a mezzanine used for cooking and cocktail classes, Brazil said.
“Knowing there’s an audience interested in that heritage we are taking it one step further with that space,” he said.
The former auto sales and service warehouse building was constructed around 1919 with a primary entrance facing Montgomery Street, according to the Metropolitan Planning Commission. Separate stores faced West Broad Street (MLK), and dwellings still faced Perry street, as evidenced by the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps dated 1950 and 1955. A parking lot now exists on the west side of the block following the demolition of those structures some time prior to 1973.
The plans for the historic building are still in the early stages and company does not expect to the new space to be open until at least the middle of of 2024, Brazil said.
Meanwhile, after recently completing some exterior work, the company is preparing plans to renovate the interior of the adjacent Old Town Trolley building at 250 MLK by making improvements to the guest service area in front. The back portion will also be renovated to accommodate offices and a break area for the trolley company’s cast members. On Feb. 8, the Historic District Board of Review continued consideration of the plans to a future meeting.
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