A corner building in downtown Jefferson is getting closer to re-opening its doors after an incident forced it to close.

The Centennial is located at 100 East State Street as the former Angie’s Teagarden. In 2019, the tearoom and restaurant had to close because of a water main break in the upstairs abandoned apartment flooded the main floor. Following the closure, a group of women, Why Not Us, eventually purchased the building from the City of Jefferson.

Since then progress has been made to re-open the establishment with a different look. Why Not Us President Peg Raney says the contractor, Westbrooke Construction, has installed all of the interior walls, salvaged and re-installed the tin ceiling, along with two Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accessible restrooms and a commercial kitchen for restaurateur Sara Ostrander of Grand Junction.

Raney notes they still have to install most of the windows of the building and they are looking for a couple of more women to join their organization. The goal is 61 members to reflect the amount of face models that are also on the exterior of the building. She talks about the outreach their membership has already.

“It’s been people who (are) alumni from Jefferson from years back that still love Jefferson dearly and want to see its success. People who just want to be a part of this project from outside (of the community), maybe they’ve lived here before or they have some interest in Jefferson. So it’s a great mix of people from local and don’t live in Greene County anymore but want to be a part of it.”   

Each member that joins must have $5,000 to give to their organization. Raney adds, they hope to have a soft opening of the new restaurant by this year’s Bell Tower Festival.