CINCINNATI -- The popular neighborhood restaurant and bar, Nation Kitchen & Bar, will soon expand from the city's urban center in Pendleton across Interstate 75 into the city's West Side -- at the historic Junietta Firehouse in Westwood.
The city's Department of Community and Economic Development announced Thursday Nation's winning bid to redevelop the decommissioned Engine 33 fire station, located on Junietta Avenue.
The fire house on Junietta Avenue in Westwood. (WCPO file)
"What a beautiful building that we get to breathe life back into, we can't wait to get started!" the restaurant posted on its Facebook page shortly after the city's announcement.
As WCPO previously reported, Westwood community leader Larry Eiser said the neighborhood has been looking for the right project to come in and revitalize the building for months. Eiser said they were hoping for a family-friendly restaurant.
The restaurant's winning bid makes it one of several redevelopment projects to hit Westwood in recent months. The historic Westwood Town Hall cultural center sits at the center of several blocks of blossoming businesses and developments, after the city committed to investing $4 million in the building's revitalization.
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The investment has meant an expanded and improved park on its grounds and helping to fund the Madcap Puppet Theater headquarters
Nation's expansion into Westwood won't be its first role in neighborhood revitalization. When Nation opened its doors in 2015, it was the first retailer to open in the neighborhood in more than a decade, according to their website.
