From the Ground Up: Avanzare Italian Dining building

Owner: Fountain Place LLC
General contractor: Eoff & Associates Inc.
Architect: James B. O’Donnell III
Engineers: Vandersluis Engineering Inc., civil; Edelman Engineering, structural; and Latifi Engineering, mechanical, electrical and plumbing
Size: 9,919 square feet
Cost: Would not disclose
Lender: Simmons Bank
Estimated completion: Feb. 1, 2024
Project description: The section of Fremont Avenue located south of East Battlefield Road is shaping up to look very different in the coming months, with the Heritage apartment complex revitalizing the former Heritage Cafeteria property on the west side of the road and, a block farther, the 8.7-acre Fountain Place development taking shape around an existing pond at an estimated cost of $10 million total. A build-to-suit restaurant is rising on the south side of the lot. There, Avanzare Italian Dining will relocate from its home at 1908 S. Glenstone Ave. in the Plaza Shopping Center. Jackie Joy Eoff, vice president of Eoff & Associates, parent company of Fountain Place, said the new restaurant will expand from 118 seats to more than 300 in a floor plan featuring an open kitchen, separate rooms for wine and top-shelf liquor, a reception area and outdoor dining. Avanzare’s owners, Tony and Carmen Garcia, opened the restaurant on Glenstone Avenue in 2002, according to Springfield Business Journal archives. Three other lots are located at Fountain Place, and site preparation is underway.