The owners of the Third Street Restaurant Group have been involved in the restaurant business for more than four decades combined, and currently own the Summit Bar & Grill with two locations in Lee’s Summit and Waldo. While seeking a new location for expansion, they were introduced to the historic Arnold Hall in downtown Lee’s Summit, MO, a 7,200 s.f. building listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Recognizing key similarities of the Lee’s Summit site to characteristics of their other successful restaurant locations, the Third Street Restaurant Group envisioned a new restaurant concept that strongly responds to Arnold Hall’s historic ambiance.

The new restaurant, Third Street Social, plays off the historic character of the existing building, integrating layers of classic bar and restaurant finishes to create a warm, inviting space. The use of a copper top bar, marble tile flooring and white oak paneling convey a sense of formality, which is balanced by the more casual adjacent dining area and outdoor patio.

Given the building’s NRHP distinction, the DRAW team was careful to adhere to the strict Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines, preserving historic building elements and volumes, replacing windows with replicas of the originals, and respecting site and building elements of historic significance