Gray’s Mill group receives $200,000 grant

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By Jason Crane

The Montgomery Village Board unanimously approved a $200,000 conditional grant to Gray’s Mill Partners, LLC pursuant to the Village’s Mill District Restaurant Incentive Program at the Village Board meeting Monday.

Gray’s Mill in Montgomery is on course to receive a revival. The building was built on the west bank of the Fox River in Montgomery in 1853 and was operated as a water-powered turbine-flour mill until 1916. It alternately has been empty and had businesses in the building since 1916, most recently a barbecue restaurant which closed approximately three years ago. Jason Crane/The Voice

As per the Board’s prior discussions, the grant is eligible to be issued at the time of the issuance of the Phase I Certificate of Occupancy.

An additional future grant of $200,000 may be awarded as part of the Phase II improvements by separate agreement.

In October, Phil Cullen, owner of Ballydoyle Irish Pub & Restaurant in Aurora and Downers Grove and Empire in Naperville, gave a presentation to the Village Board about his vision to redevelop the vacant Gray’s Mill property.

Gray’s Mill is on the Fox River in downtown Montgomery at the southeast corner of River and Mill Streets in Montgomery. The building has been vacant for approximately three years and previous businesses included a barbecue restaurant and a casual American fare restaurant and bar.

The project would include help from partners Brian Dolan and Mike Baum. The proposed name in the new venture was revealed as Gray’s Mill Estate and would include two wedding spaces.

The historic structure was built in 1853 as a water-powered turbine flour mill on the Fox River. It operated until 1916, when ice on the River destroyed the dam. Electricity allowed the mill a replacement power source until it shut down in 1922.

For the next several decades, the mill stood empty. In 1945, Ernest Anfinsen purchased the building to manufacture automotive parts. The building was abandoned following Anfinsen’s death in 1971. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.

The development would include a speakeasy named Danny Boy’s after the late Dan Dolan, Sr. the commercial real estate developer who was responsible for a high percentage of developments in the Aurora area.

The top level in the building would be guest quarters similar to a ski lodge with five rooms. Families could stay there together for the wedding and when not in use, the rooms could be rented as an Airbandb.

Plans include adding a converted grain bin as an outdoor lighthouse, or second story viewing area of the Fox River as a riverside cocktail bar.

At the October meeting Cullen said the plans include a retractable roof. He said the retractable roof at his Empire establishment in Naperville was the best money he’s invested for an establishment “because it’s paid for itself a hundred fold.”

At the October meeting Cullen added, “I’m going to do things I haven’t had a chance to do that I’ve really always wanted to do. Same with Mike Baum. I look forward to becoming partners and making this thing work out, for all of us. I think it’ll be a great thing when it’s all done!”

Mike Baum, one of the partners on the project shared some thoughts in an E-mail to The Voice in October. He wrote, “We feel that purchasing and upgrading one of the best preserved pre-Civil War grain mills is significant, but the addition that we will build on the back of the building is the game changer. Gray’s Mill sits on one of the most beautiful locations on the Fox River, and we are going to now provide spectacular views of the River and Montgomery bridge. We are also going to create park-like settings along the river and around the building that folks will want to visit.

“This new space will make Gray’s Mill into one of the premier destinations in the area, and set the table for more development to come in downtown Montgomery.

“In addition, (we) are also going to create “Baum’s Bier Garten” overlooking the river next to the bridge that will serve German beer and food. It will be have a genuine German vibe and feel.”

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