Douglas Pope, the person responsible for the award-winning restoration of Broadgauge in Petersburg, said he is hoping to find a new owner to reopen the restaurant and event venue.
A Jan. 2 post on the business’ Facebook page said that Broadgauge would close “indefinitely” following three public events already scheduled to take place later this month.
“It was a personal decision from the ownership side,” said Pope. “It was good timing for us to bow out. We plan to sell the business and sell the properties once we find the right people.”
Pope, a Petersburg native, moved to the west coast to work in the technology industry but returned to his hometown during the pandemic while working remotely for the real estate firm Zillow. He decided to purchase and restore the Broadgauge building, constructed in 1872, and was honored with Landmarks Illinois’ Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Adaptive Reuse in 2022.
Broadgauge opened for business the same year as a restaurant and space for both public and private events. The restaurant closed in August, reopening at the end of October with a new menu but lunch service only.
Sean Keely, who had served as executive chef for the past two years, took a job with Arena Food Service at the end of July.
“We’ve gone through some staffing changes, which led to scheduling changes,” Pope said. “It’s been a little topsy-turvy for the last six months. But we’ve been really lucky to work with so many great chefs over the years, and our front of the house staff was awesome.”
He said he’s also enjoyed meeting “a diverse set of customers and employees, that was the best part. It has been an amazing three years. We’ve met so many awesome guests from all around the country.”
Pope said his goal at this point is to sell the buildings “fully equipped, fully furnished” so that someone else can reopen the business.
“I’m not 100% sure what’s next. I still plan on being very involved in the Petersburg area,” Pope said. “But we’re not replacing Broadgauge with anything else, that’s for sure. We’re getting out of the hospitality business.”
Dan Sperry of The Real Estate Group has the property listed for sale at an asking price of $2.9 million.
