A roughly century-old building in downtown Gilbert that has long housed a popular auto repair shop may soon be extensively repurposed as a restaurant.
Located at the intersection of N. Gilbert Road and Cullumber Avenue, the one-story L-shaped building encompasses around 10,000 square feet and includes a four-bay garage.
Plans are now calling for the development of a what will be a nearly 5, 500-square foot- restaurant in the former Clement’s Auto Repair building, along with a 5,000-square-foot front patio, and a roughly 1,200-square-foot mezzanine.
A unique visual feature of the project, reports the Arizona Republic, will be a “1930s-era car fuel station-inspired canopy.”
Retail space in a separate section of the structure will comprise some 3,400 square feet.
The building was purchased two years ago for nearly $3 million by local investors Scott and Haleigh Bigelow.
Located in the city’s Heritage District, Clement’s Auto Repair, which also served as a Mobil Gas station, proved beyond a doubt an enduring business having opened in 1934 and only ending operations in early 2022.
If all goes as anticipated, work on the repurposing of the building will begin sometime this summer.
By Garry Boulard