Changes could be coming to the facade of a historical building in downtown Wilmington.

The proposed changes at 9 S. Front St., a site that most recently housed the restaurant Platypus & Gnome, involve rebuilding the facade to reflect the original storefront design. 

The alterations are set to go before Wilmington’s Historic Preservation Commission for consideration on Thursday. 

James Goodnight purchased the Front Street building in 2016 for more than $1.8 million. While upfitting the space for a “new food and beverage tenant,” Goodnight said contractors found evidence of the original storefront design, dating to the building’s construction in 1899.

Goodnight is now proposing to demolish the non-original storefront and construct a new storefront with two entrances to “replicate the original configuration of the storefront,” according to a case summary compiled by city of Wilmington planning staff.

“Restoring this storefront and making a slight change in floor height will make the space much more ADA compliant as well as creating a much more efficient interior layout without having to dedicate as much square footage to circulation space,” Goodnight wrote in an email to the Business Journal.

Additional work is also proposed along Bettencourt Alley on the south side of the building. New exterior lighting is proposed on Front Street along with the removal of a non-historic fire escape.

The site previously housed Caffe Phoenix for more than two decades. Platypus & Gnome opened on the building’s first floor in 2016 before vacating the space last year for a location closer to Wrightsville Beach.

Work on the building is expected to wrap up in 2025, and while Goodnight said he has a “great tenant in tow,” he’s not yet ready to disclose the new user.

The three-story building is a contributing resource to the Central Business District Historic District Overlay. Wilmington's seven-member Historic Preservation Commission reviews exterior changes to properties in the city's historic district or overlay “to ensure compatibility with the historic character of the district,” according to the city of Wilmington’s website.