Set in a Neoclassical-style house that was once a funeral parlor, Revival on Lincoln will open late this summer at 366 Lincoln Ave. as an American restaurant and bar. It’s a project from two Bellevue residents with a passion for historic preservation and fine dining.

Chris Driscoll, an architecture buff and director of technology at Katz Graduate School of Business at University of Pittsburgh, and John King, a longtime chef of Allegheny Country Club in Sewickley, now retired, have teamed up to bring the building back to life as part of a renaissance for Bellevue.

Mr. Driscoll bought the building in late 2017 with a plan to restore it. But it took conversation with Mr. King through the neighborhood’s community group, Bona Fide Bellevue, to team up as partners for the project.

The house built in 1902 has been pre-approved for the National Register of Historic Places. From the 1940s through the 2000s it had operated as Dale A. Gilliland and later McDonald-Linn funeral homes. Mr. Driscoll says the building is in very good shape. It has five rooms they’ll use for seating, including a main dining room anchored with a fireplace, two small rooms and one with a bar. An upstairs room can be used for private events. The property also will feature an outdoor patio, with a side cafe that could be a tea house or a service area for the patio.

The team is in the process of hiring a chef for a seasonal, American menu in the restaurant that seats about 100 people, as well as outfitting the kitchen with equipment and ventilation. It will serve alcohol. 

The restaurant will join Lincoln Avenue Brewery (538 Lincoln Ave.) that’s also on track to open this summer, along with Cyclops Cafe — which bills itself as a coffee shop, art space, live music venue and co-working space — that opened at 567 Lincoln Ave. in November. Bellevue lifted the ban  on alcohol 82 years after Prohibition in 2015. 

Leo. a public house will open in Allegheny West, five blocks from Heinz Field

The couple behind Lola Bistro on the North Side, Michael Barnhouse and his wife Yelena, will be opening Leo. a public house  — a beer and wine spot with artisan sandwiches — sometime in the next couple months at 1207 Allegheny Ave. 

Look for sandwiches that feature roasted chicken, tasso ham, roast beef, halal beef sausage and gravlax as star ingredients on a dinner menu that will also include vegetables and pasta salads.

With 40 interior seats and an outdoor deck, Leo. will have a liquor license, offering Eastern European brews a standout, along with German, Czech and Belgian selections and a few local craft beers on tap. Mr. Barnhouse is also hoping to provide “really nice wines;” Lola Bistro does not have a liquor license. 

Mr. Barnhouse says he’ll be “wearing many hats” between working behind the bar at Leo. and cooking at the charming Lola Bistro. His wife will remain at the flagship restaurant.

Named for Mr. Barnhouse’s grandfather, Leo. has been a work-in-progress for a couple years. As to when it will open, he says “the next couple months,” although it depends on permits.

“A lot has changed” in the past few years he says, citing changes in regulations and more restaurant openings as slowing down the city and county permitting process. 

Leo. joins neighborhood favorites in Allegheny West such as Nicky’s Thai Kitchen, Bier’s Pub and The Modern Cafe. On the periphery of the neighborhood, more restaurants have opened, including Federal Galley at Nova Place and Brugge on North at Alphabet City in the City of Asylum.

East Ohio is also in mid-development, with chef-owner Brian Hammond the first new restaurateur, on track to open Siempre Algo this month in the former Schrim’s Garden Cafe. The East Ohio stretch in development will also bring additional restaurants, retail and updated residences to the area. Construction in the corridor will likely include the 96-room Workingmen’s Square Hotel from Comfort Inn from October Development.

Melissa McCart: mmccart@post-gazette.com.

First Published: April 27, 2018, 6:17 p.m.