New restaurant has historic look

Facade is former firehouse

A historical photograph showing the old firehouse and its crew.Jason Schreiber

EXETER A piece of history was uncovered this week when an aging metal facade was removed from the brick arches of an old downtown firehouse.

The two arches have been hidden for at least the past 50 years, but they will be given new life as part of a renovation project that will transform the firehouse into a new casual-dining restaurant.

"We decided to preserve that portion of the building and bring it back to the town," said Jeff Turner, who owns the restaurant and the Green Bean soup and sandwich cafe next door with Lori Whitney.

The well-known restaurateurs are making good progress on their new full-service restaurant that will build upon the success of the Green Bean, which opened at 33 Water St. in 1997.

The firehouse, built in the mid-19th century, was most recently home to Trends Gift Gallery. The store found a new location on Water Street to clear the way for the restaurant, which Turner said still doesn't have a name but will likely include something related to a firehouse when one is picked.

Turner discovered the potential for the arches each measuring 11 feet tall and 10 feet wide during demolition work inside the building. He was determined to find a way to preserve them during the building's face-lift.

The plan is to add glass panes on the top and wood panels on the bottom to resemble the original doors as much as possible.

"Everyone's been really excited about it," he said.

More:
New restaurant has historic look