Grist Mill Restaurant and Brewpub Coming to Washington Square

CL Real Estate Development (CLRED) is excited to announce their latest project–The Grist Mill in downtown Washington, Illinois. “We are glad to be a part of a community that cares deeply about its heritage and seeks ways to improve the quality of life for its residents and visitors,” said Peter Limberger Chairman of the family owned CL Enterprises and of CLRED. “We look forward to our partnership with the City of Washington on this transformative project on historic Washington Square.”

The project is a combination of new construction and remodeling and repurposing of existing buildings at Washington Square. It includes an upscale restaurant/brewpub, an event space along with a unique rooftop bar and beer garden overlooking the square and several modern residential units. Mayor Gary W. Manier, an enthusiastic supporter of the project, remarks “We are excited to learn that The Grist Mill will be building on our downtown square. This is great news for Washington and our entire region to have a destination like this here. I would encourage anyone to visit their other locations to see just what we have to look forward to.”

The brewpub will be operated by Tangled Roots Hospitality, CLRED’s sister company, an Ottawa-based craft brewery and restaurant company, which currently operates several other upscale brewpubs in Glenview, Lockport, Ottawa and DeKalb, with one in construction in LaSalle, IL. Tangled Roots’ CEO Blake Rohrabaugh remarked: “The Peoria area is growing and Washington, Illinois is perfect for a new restaurant and event space with a wonderful ambience and a unique offering of food and unique farm-to-foam craft beer. We’re looking forward to creating the favorite destination for Washington-area residents and visitors alike.”

World renown Lohan Architecture, known for many landmark buildings in Chicago and around the world is responsible for the design of this unique building. “We’re happy to share Dirk Lohan’s first in-progress design image for the Grist Mill, reimagining an important corner of Washington’s Historic Square, ” says Nathan Watson, “Our objective is to create a beautiful, lasting addition to the downtown. This building will respect the scale and quality of historic Washington Square while revealing its own contemporary structure and purpose.

The Pohl Family has years of experience investing and operating businesses in their hometown of Washington. They introduced this downtown redevelopment opportunity to CLRED several years ago with a big vision and are now partnering with CLRED to make it a reality. “My dream of a rooftop experience overlooking our historic square is finally coming true” says Kelly Pohl. “We are thrilled to be a part of this fantastic project. We know it will be a huge success and lead to continued growth for Washington and surrounding communities. We couldn’t be happier to be working with the City of Washington, CL Enterprises and Tangled Roots to make this dream a reality.”