Montgomery’s Place, Carterville

2024 Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for Rehabilitation

Carterville native Jennifer Spence used her years of preservation experience and passion for historic buildings to transform the historic Montgomery’s Place building into a lively restaurant, event space, bar and coffee shop. Sitting prominently in Carterville’s downtown, the building was constructed in the late 1800s, housed a tavern in the early 1900s and then became a bakery from 1908 until the 1950s. More recently, however, the building had fallen into disrepair. Interior walls had collapsed, and sections of roofing were missing. Despite the challenges, Spence saw the potential in the building and initiated the extensive restoration of the property in 2019, ensuring its original character and more than century-old features were brought back to life. Montgomery’s Place marks the fourth historic preservation project Spence has tackled in her hometown, and the second for which she has received a Landmarks Illinois Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Preservation Award for. (Spence won an award in 2019 for Rise Above It Bakery). What once was an eyesore in the Southern Illinois city’s downtown is now a point of pride, with a bustling local business and community gathering space inside a piece of Carterville’s history.

(Photo: Exterior, before & after rehabilitation)

Additional Information

The restored Montgomery’s Place, spanning 5,000 square feet, features a coffee shop counter, bar counter and glassed-in room for coffee roasting. Three new glass garage doors, which open to a large outdoor patio, and new windows were also designed to replicate the original side windows. The exterior brick on Montgomery’s Place also features a Selz Royal Blue Shoe mural, which Spence herself restored, requiring high scaffolding and almost three months of work. A 30-foot railroad rail from 1896, which had previously been used as a support beam, was removed and is now used as a footrest at the bar. Other materials from historic Carterville buildings were also used in the project, including 100-year-old hardwood flooring from a downtown building that previously burned down.

(Photo: Interior, before & after rehabilitation)

Project Principals

• Jennifer Spence, Owner & Contractor
• Daniel Sloan, Daniel & Sons HVAC
• Rocky Harris, Harris Plumbing
• Steve May, DART Design, Architect
• Kyle Johnson, Construction
• Ronnie Runge, Construction
• Phil Hees, Construction
• Shawn Spence and John Caudill, Concrete

 

(Photo: Spence restoring the Selz mural on the side of Montgomery’s Place)

LI ASKS: Why is this place important to you?

Jennifer Spence, Owner

“This building was the worst of the worst in our downtown in regard to a historic building in terrible shape and appearance. I knew if it could be renovated and become beautiful again, it would inspire others to choose any historic building or home and do the same. Finally, I’m nostalgic and love our history. In its earliest days, a portion of this 120+-year-old building served as a tavern known as Montgomery’s Place (that apparently had a dancing monkey that played a pump organ and would go to the city well with a tin cup to drive up business and tips). From 1908 to the early 1950s, the building served as one of the region’s largest bakeries, MacKellar’s Bakery. Mr. MacKellar also served as the town mayor for a while. There are still some seniors in town who can remember the warm cinnamon rolls and fresh bread smells that came from this building when walking by. It was simply an important building in our town and made a massive first impression when you drove into our downtown area. Of all of my renovation projects, it was my most challenging and fulfilling project because, honestly, there were so many days that I was not sure we would be successful in restoring and funding all that needed to occur with the building.”

 

(Photo: Exterior mural, before & after rehabilitation)

 

LI asks: How did this place impact people in your community?

Jennifer Spence, Owner

“It impacted the community in a few ways:

1. It provided a food and beverage venue that we desperately needed from a quality standpoint. This has resulted in jobs, tax dollars for our city and wonderful memories for visitors. People love the space, atmosphere and food/beverage offerings, which includes Big Shoulders Coffee from Chicago, making us the only Big Shoulders Coffee provider in Southern Illinois.
2. It also offers event space, providing a community gathering space with its offerings.
3. It has transformed from the biggest eyesore in town to the photo-op spot for prom photos, senior photos, etc.
4. It has served as an inspiration to other people considering (or in the process of) restoring historic properties.
5. It has inspired other businesses to open downtown, including an ice cream shop, antique mall, hair salon and clothing boutiques.
6. I believe it has improved the quality of life for residents of Carterville. People want to walk downtown and have an option to enjoy a family dinner or a weekend meal with friends. They want to have a nice glass of wine, beer or cocktail in this area, and that hasn’t happened since the 1940s. They want a cool event space for showers, parties and meetings that is not new construction or a community center-type environment.
7. Finally, anytime you restore a historic property, you have the opportunity to tell its story. Sometimes, that is just with bringing it back to what it once looked like in ways. Other times, it is communicating through social media, venue videos and conversation. The community was able to follow my renovation progress on social media, and they felt like they were a part of this journey. In this way, it was a win for them to see it finished, rented and providing a needed business.”