The rebirth of one Dowagiac’s most iconic downtown destinations is nearly complete.

Staff and contractors are close to finishing the renovations to the former Round Oak Restaurant in preparation for a re-launch of the popular Front Street restaurant, which will reopen under a new name: Round Oak Revisited.

With most of the new equipment, furniture and décor in place, owner Cindy Brosnan expects to host a soft opening of the business in about two weeks, she said.

Brosnan, along with her husband Bob, daughter Jolene and others, have worked to bring back Round Oak restaurant, which has been closed since 2013, ever since the couple purchased the building from former owner and creator Doug McKay last September.

Since then, a majority of the work to the restaurant’s dining and kitchen areas has been completed, Brosnan said.

In line with she and Jolene’s (who serves as general manager) original vision of the restaurant, the front of the house is divided into several sections: the bar (which still retains the same bar top, purchased from the House of David, as the original restaurant), a bistro with high top tables and a TV monitor, and the traditional dining room which features the old tables and booths with a new shine and polish.

“One of our goals is for former customers to recognize it as the same restaurant they used to visit, but with a bit of a modern twist,” Brosnan said.

The same philosophy applies to the décor as well. In addition to the new paintings and light fixtures around the dining room, the owners have restored a number of the old Round Oak stoves that once lined the floors of the establishment, as well as an old safe used by the famed stove company that will be used as decoration near the waiting area, Brosnan said.

The affairs of the back of the house have been shored up in recent months as well, with last month’s hiring of the restaurant’s head chef, Thomas O’Hara, Brosnan said.

O’Hara, a native of Florida, has been cooking since he was 4 years old, learning from his godfather, he said. He has worked in several kitchens across Michigan and Indiana, including helping with the opening of Evil Czech Brewery and Public House in Mishawaka in 2014, he said.

When the opportunity came to assist in the resurrection of a prestigious restaurant like the Round Oak, he quickly seized it, O’Hara said.

“This place used to be a hub for the entire community before it closed,” O’Hara said. “To be part of an effort to bring such an establishment back is an opportunity that doesn’t come along every day.”

O’Hara and the owners have finalized the menu the restaurant will offer, which will specialize in American style dishes, such as steaks, chicken and seafood, prepared with as many local and regional ingredients as possible, O’Hara said. In addition, his menu will have a series of favorite appetizers, such as jalapeno poppers or chicken wings, prepared fresh instead of simply being reheated from prepared frozen boxes, he said.

In spite of the focus on freshness and quality, the menu should feature dishes that can run in price point of any local diner, O’Hara said.

“We want to give Dowagiac a place where someone can bring the family, have a nice evening and not rack up the debit card while doing so,” he said.