What’s up with the wooden deck being built in front of Old Mill Tasty Shop?
If you’ve recently driven past the Old Mill Tasty Shop — the classic Wichita restaurant at 604 E. Douglas that’s turning 90 this year — you would have noticed crews out front busy at work on a structure that looks like a new patio.
And it is, though won’t be the kind of outdoor dining area Old Mill fans might be envisioning.
The structure going up is part of the Front Porch “placemaking” project by Downtown Wichita that was announced a year ago. The project, which is being paid for by grants from the National Endowment of the Arts and the Knight Foundation Fund at the Wichita Community Foundation, will soon result in outdoor expansions at six local businesses. Old Mill is one of them and is one of two downtown businesses that will add a “parklet” — a deck that will include seating and other features — as part of the project.
Emily Brookover, Downtown Wichita’s director of community development, said that the Front Porch projects at all six of the businesses will be finished in early July, when a grand reveal will take place. Until then, she said, details about what Old Mill’s new porch will include are a secret, but she would say that the design would pay tribute to the restaurant’s 90th anniversary and would include several “Wichita-themed” elements as well as tables.
People will be able to buy food at Old Mill and enjoy it on the porch, said Don Wright, who owns the restaurant with his mother, Mary Wright. But the restaurant staff won’t be offering table service outside.
Each of the project’s six participating businesses was paired with a local artist or creative to dream up the additions. Standard Issue Co., the clothing store at 924 E. Douglas, will be the other business that gets a parklet as part of the project.
Old Mill is collaborating with mother-daughter creative team Chiyoko and Sarah Myose, and Standard Issue is working with architectural designer Drew Phillips.
The other businesses that are involved all have gotten started on their projects, too, Brookover said. Wichita Cheesecake Company at 801 E. Douglas is working with painter Engy AlGarf. Public at the Brickyard, 129. N. Rock Island, is working with Kevin Harrison, an assistant professor at Wichita State University.
Graphic designer Elisabeth Owens is working with Lucinda’s at 329 N. Mead. And Jenny Dawn Cellars at 703 E. Douglas is collaborating with horticulturalist Belinda Smith.
The goal of the Front Porch project is to create inviting outdoor spaces where people want to congregate, much like they would on a home’s front porch.
Stay tuned for details on the Front Porch projects’ grand reveals in July.
This story was originally published June 2, 2022 at 2:37 PM.
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