Center City of Amarillo awards downtown restaurant façade grant

Continuing its commitment to restoring the curb appeal of downtown, Center City of Amarillo presented Jaime Santillá, the owner of Braceros Downtown, with a $20,000 façade grant for his work in restoring the historic building his restaurant occupies.

Braceros Downtown is located at 727 South Polk St. and occupies what is known as the old Acapulco building. The building dates back to 1927. Former occupants of the building have been various jewelry companies, such as Cizon’s.

Santillá opened his second location downtown in July; his other location on Sixth Street has been a staple for Mexican food in Amarillo for the past 15 years. The extensive renovation of the Acapulco building included restoring its original hardwood floors that had previously been covered with tile and exposed brick walls.

Façade grants are matching grants to business owners, which assist in recovering some of the costs associated with any work done to the outside to increase the curb appeal and appearance of downtown businesses. The Center City of Amarillo can award up to $20,000 in matching funds for any exterior improvements to downtown buildings, including signage, windows, streetscapes, or external design elements.

Last week, Center City’s President Ed Gowdy and Executive Director Beth Duke met with Santillá to present his establishment with the matching funds for the work done to restore an iconic neon sign to his Polk Street location. The vintage sign is designed to look as close to the original previously on display at the site while a jewelry store, all the way back to the 1980s.

“We tried to keep it as rustic and as close to the original sign as possible,” Santillá said.

Santillá also sought to use as much of the original features of the building as he could salvage.

“We discovered the original wood floor that was exposed when we removed the older tile and decided that this gave a much better overall look for the restaurant,” he added.

Santillá spoke about how his establishment imported decorations and furniture from Mexico to give his restaurant an authentic look and feel for patrons. As you walk into the restaurant, one will quickly notice the beautifully handcrafted wooden benches with unique designs in the waiting area.

Overall, business has been strong for Amarillo’s downtown hotels, and Santillá feels confident that his location is an excellent addition to the downtown cityscape. Eventually, Santillá stated that Braceros at this location will be open on Sundays due to increased traffic downtown.

When asked about what the façade grant does for businesses like his, Santillá praised the program, which rewarded his investment in the renewal of the Amarillo downtown. Santillá said that he spent about $500,000 overall to renovate his location.

“It gives us an opportunity, not only to myself but to a lot of people,” Santillá said. “We want to be able to create more traffic and generate revenue for downtown.”

Duke spoke about the unique nature and brick design of the exterior of the Acapulco building.

“The original brick on the outside of this building is very distinctive with the decorative cast stone rosettes around the roofline," Duke said. “They really do not do that type of decoration and craftsmanship with the brick anymore. Braceros will be a magnet for people downtown.”

“Braceros is a great addition to the Polk Street entertainment district and the Downtown Dining District. With its location near three downtown hotels, the restaurant will serve residents and visitors alike,” Duke said. “Center City is proud to have Braceros as a new downtown partner.”

The Braceros façade grant was more than 18 months in the making for Center City.

“The way our façade grant works, it is a reimbursement grant, so we can only present these grants after all the work is done on the building that applies for it,” Duke said. “We are looking for projects that make a big difference in making downtown more appealing.”

Since the inception of the Center City Façade grant in 1996, the organization has presented more than $1.3 million in grants to downtown businesses.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Center City of Amarillo awards downtown restaurant façade grant