Rookery Block business finds new location
Fans of Bob Hemphill’s catfish sandwiches won’t have to walk far to reach his new location.
Hemphill, owner of the Chicken-N-More restaurant on the corner of Sprague and Stevens, said he’s moving half a block to the east. His new spot, at 414 ½ W. Sprague, will be 50 percent larger, but everything else will stay the same, from the pulled pork to the rice and beans.
He said the new restaurant should be open by mid-June.
“I think it’s a blessing,” Hemphill said. “We’ll be able to do a little bit more than what we’re doing now.”
Hemphill is moving because his landlord, Reugh Properties, asked him and the other tenants on the Rookery Block to vacate the premises by May 31 in preparation for demolition. The company, owned by Wendell Reugh, said it hadn’t been able to secure an extension to its demolition permit, which was to expire in mid-June.
However, that changed April 28 when the city granted an extension, said Steve Gill, manager of Reugh Properties. Reugh’s new permit lasts until Dec. 24.
“It certainly takes the pressure off,” Gill said. “We’re still trying very hard to get together an arrangement where we can save those buildings.”
In fact, Mayor Jim West said that the city will continue to extend that permit as long as is necessary, provided the buildings do not become a fire hazard. The city wants to do what it can to encourage the redevelopment of the block, West said.
“We just made sure the demolition permits could be extended so we didn’t by our actions give him a reason to tear it down,” West said.
Reugh owns all the buildings, except the Fernwell, on the block bounded by Riverside, Sprague, Stevens and Howard, in the center of downtown. Reugh has said he would raze the block for surface parking if he can’t find a buyer for the $4.5 million property. The block includes three historic structures, the three-story Rookery, seven-story Mohawk and four-story Merton.
Gill said negotiations continue with potential buyers interested in redeveloping the block. Past proposals have called for housing, office and retail space.