TAYLORVILLE, Ill. (WAND)- Millions of dollars are being invested in downtown Taylorville, as Christian-County natives are working to develop many of the town's historic building.
"All the buildings around here are historic. So just owning a piece of that and restoring it back to his former glory, has always been an interest of mine," David Durham, of Durham Investments, told WAND News.
Durham grew up just down the road in Edinburgh and knew he wanted to invest in his home community.
"This is going to be a destination location. That's the whole point- to draw people to Taylorville and when they come- what better thing to have than a place to stay," Durham added.
He's in the process of transforming historic buildings into a coffee shop, brew pub, golf simulator, cigar lounge and apartments and an Air BnB.
"I can call and make a request and they will do everything and bend over backwards to help you. Without them it would have been a very difficult journey, but they've made it very easy for me," Durham explained.
"Taylorville is very optimistic on where we're going to go from here. We were stagnant for so long that its just great to see the enthusiasm that our townspeople have," Mayor Bruce Barry told WAND News.
Mayor Barry said Taylorville is actively working to attract developers and businesses.
"We developed a business development district so we can give these business owners money to upgrade their businesses and their looks- and we're looking for that wow factor in our area," Mayor Barry said.
He is also leveraging a three million dollar grant from the state to draw in even more investment.
"Maybe have some some outdoor dining on our square, redo the roads and the sidewalks. And we're actually in the process of applying for another $3-mil grant to put in lighting," Mayor Barry added.
The mayor said another Christian County native has purchased Rene's to renovate the old drug store into the county's first rooftop bar.
Durham hopes to begin opening his businesses by the spring and early summer.
