Gia Mia restaurant moving into Old Nichols Library in downtown Naperville
The Old Nichols Library in downtown Naperville is getting a surprising new tenant this summer.
Restaurateur Brian Goewey recently announced he's opening a sixth location for the Gia Mia Italian restaurant chain in the historic building at 110 S. Washington St. While it will have a menu familiar to fans of the Gia Mia's in Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Geneva, St. Charles and Wheaton, the Naperville setting will be unique.
At one time designated for demolition, the Old Nichols Library was saved in 2017 when city officials granted landmark status to the 124-year-old building. Since then, the owners - who built the multistory development just to the south - have worked to find the right tenant as part of their Central Park Place project.
In stepped Goewey, who looks forward to executing the Gia Mia vision even with the constraints of renovating a landmark building. Gia Mia designs never have been cookie-cutter, but the Old Nichols Library is completely outside the box.
"It will be challenging because of the historics of the building and the uniqueness of what comes up," said Goewey, who operates the BG Hospitality Group. "We just thought it was time for us to do something iconic like this and take on a real fun, historic rehab.
"It's going to be a different feel than anything you've ever seen with Gia Mia," he said.
Even though it's still early in the renovation, Goewey said masonry experts already are working to restore the original brick walls they uncovered inside. At about 4,500 square feet, the Naperville location will have a larger kitchen and be about 25% bigger than the other Gia Mia restaurants.
Another unique element of the Old Nichols Library renovation will be the 1,500-square-foot deck that will allow for an additional 100 outdoor seats just in time for the targeted opening in July.
In terms of the menu, expect to see many of the wood-fired favorites that have made the other Gia Mia locations so popular. While pizza is an obvious choice, the restaurant also serves pasta, appetizers and Italian standards like chicken Parmesan and chicken Marsala.
"Naperville has been at the top of our list as a top interest, but we haven't been able to find anything," Goewey said. "We finally found a deal that made a lot of sense for ownership and ourselves to make a splash in a big market like that. This was a great opportunity for us."