CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Changes are in store for two historic Ocoee Street restaurant buildings.
The Spot, the restaurant that’s been around in one form or another since 1937, isn’t changing, but the second and third floors of its building are. The second floor, once the scene of many high school graduation parties and wedding receptions, once again is open for meetings and banquets, said owner Nicholas Lillios. The third floor has become a luxury loft apartment for rent.
A block away, Diamond Lil’s has changed its name to N.O.L.A; as in New Orleans, La.
Architect Douglas Caywood, president of Downtown Design Studio, said there is a younger generation with a dedication to downtown.
“They have stories from their families, and they remember what it was like for them,” he said.
MainStreet Cleveland members met Monday in The Spot’s second floor meeting and banquet room.
Upgrading The Spot means dealing with a lot of expectations, Mr. Lillios said.
“I think each generation reinvents some of the past and caters to the future,” he said. “And that’s what we’ve done here on the second and third floors. We redid the structure of the room to accommodate larger crowds. And we’ve rearranged the walls so you can see from one room to another so you get a lot of natural light.”
On the first floor, the restaurant was renovated five years ago by former owner Allan Jones to look once more as it did in the 1930s.
A block up the street, N.O.L.A has a “soft opening” Saturday with MainStreet Cleveland’s monthly cruise-in. Last month the cruise-in attracted about 700 vehicles, according to MainStreet.
Brandon Moore said the new New Orleans-style restaurant’s full menu will be available Monday. He and fiancee Brandi Ellis will operate the restaurant with her mother, Tracy Ellis, as majority owner.
N.O.L.A is housed in what was Craigmiles Opera Hall, where John Philip Sousa, among many others, performed in the 1890s.
The transformation isn’t finished, Mr. Moore said.
“We want people to be a part of the change,” he said. “I like for everybody to come see and ask what will they be doing next.”
“I’m from New Orleans, and this just felt more like home to me, this part of downtown,” Mr. Moore said. “It’s historical. It’s Cleveland. If you are going to be part of the community, you want to be where Cleveland is.”
The two restaurant buildings are not the only ones recently renovated downtown.
Mr. Lillios developed loft apartments in what once was Woods Jewelry. Some attorneys’ offices recently got a new look, too.
Sharon Marr, MainStreet Cleveland executive director, said downtown’s new park, First Street Square, will open in late July and be home to the Five Points Market that started last year.