Here's what's coming to the former Station BBQ space in Wyoming

It’s official. A new tenant has been named for the former Station Family + BBQ  space in Wyoming.

The City of Wyoming's Community Improvement Corporation (CIC), which owns the building, has chosen Gilligan’s on the Green, an Irish-themed restaurant and brewery that's a collaboration between West Side Brewing and the EP Investment Group, owners of Ivory House restaurant in Westwood. It is scheduled to open this fall.

The brewery component of Gilligan’s will be an offshoot of Westwood's West Side Brewing. The name honors West Side co-owner Joe Mumper's great-grandfather, Martin Gilligan, who, after fleeing the potato famine in Ireland, became the head gardener for Christian Moerlein, founder and CEO of Cincinnati's largest brewery at the time.

Gilligan's will also pay tribute to Martin's son, Martin "Bud" Gilligan, a priest who studied at St. Gregory Seminary in Mount Washington, then spent many years in Rome and China before moving back to the United States to serve at churches in Dayton and Cincinnati. According to a press release, Gilligan's is meant to honor both Martin Gilligans "and all Cincinnatians of Irish descent."

Get the latest food news: Sign up for Keith Pandolfi's weekly newsletter ???

According to Wyoming City Council member Dan Driehaus, the city worked with Blake Bartley, a senior real estate executive with Urban Fast Forward, to sift through about 10 candidates who were interested in developing the property. In the end, Driehaus said the Gilligan's concept was the one that best complemented Wyoming's ongoing $1.4 million renovations of the city's village green, which will include a new pavilion that will reflect the architecture of Wyoming. "They are going to match up beautifully," Driehaus said.

The revamped green will offer concerts and other events, along the lines of Washington Park in Over-the-Rhine and Summit Park in Blue Ash, Driehaus said. The city's improvement corporation has also hired its first full-time event planner, who will oversee all programming.

"You will have the ball teams that will come and you will have the family of four coming in for dinner. You will have people bringing a friend in from out of town and people who are coming in for a concert," Driehaus said. "We also want it to be a destination for people who live outside of Wyoming."

Lamb shanks and Irish ales

Gilligan's will offer around 30 taps, including four year-round styles from the Gilligan's brand of beer such as a dry stout and an Irish red ale. It will also offer seasonal brews, ciders, wine and cocktails.

According to Driehaus, the restaurant component will be an "approachable upscale" spot that will include an outdoor seating area. The restaurant will offer weekly Irish supper specials as well as regular menu items such as a stout-braised lamb shank with whipped potatoes, roasted carrots and stewed cabbage, fish and chips, shepherd's pie and a corned beef Reuben. Gilligan's will also offer lighter fare, such as salads, as well as vegetarian options.

'The heart of Wyoming'

Driehaus said that part of the reason the city chose Gilligan's is that both West Side Brewing and EP Investment Group's Ivory House restaurant have done a great job ingratiating themselves with the Westwood community. He is hoping they will do the same in Wyoming. Along with Ivory House, EP also owns and operates W Bar + Bistro, also in Westwood, and is behind an ongoing redevelopment of Bolton & Lunsford Funeral Home in Westwood that will house a Mexican restaurant called Paloma’s and an Italian restaurant called Terrazza Trattoria. EP is owned by investors Frank Eversole and Rick Pouliot.

Gilligan’s will occupy a building that has long been considered the heart of Wyoming. The space was originally home to the Wyoming fire station but was later turned into the popular Wyoming restaurant Sturkey’s followed by several other tenants, including DiStasi’s.

In 2018, sisters Kelly Trush and Caitlin Steininger, along with their friend Karen Klaus, opened Station. In 2020, Steininger, a former "Top Chef" contestant, left to work at Dear restaurant in Hyde Park.

In August of last year, Trush announced via Facebook that Station would close permanently in October 2022. The site has sat vacant ever since.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: West Side Brewing, Ivory House owners to open Gilligan's in Wyoming