Hall’s On The River getting closer to reopening after March flooding

WINCHESTER, Ky. (WTVQ) – While many places and businesses have recovered from the historic March flooding, others like Hall’s On The River are still working to reopen.

“Mother Nature came to visit and she brought a lot of water with her” said Karl Crase, Owner of Halls on the River.

Courtesy: Halls on the River

Hall’s On The River Owner Karl Crase has been involved with the business since 1989, but in those 30 plus years, he says he’s never seen the kind of flooding and damage March 3rd brought.

Courtesy: Halls on the River

“We were about two and a half feet from the worst flood the Kentucky river has ever had, so it was a real challenge, both for us and all the people in this community, a really big challenge.”

Hall’s On The River has stood in the same location since 1781 and for years the restaurant has dealt with floods. Some have even called it…at times…halls IN the river.

But, Crase says this time around was unprecedented, with hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage to the structure, the walls and electrical system.
Crase says it was the second highest flood in recorded history for halls.
The water stayed inside the building for a week before it went down.

“We really had a big loss, it was a tough and challenging time” said Crase.

But restoration is underway with volunteers and staff members coming out to help. The restaurant will be completely redone on the inside, its largest post flood project to date.

“The last major renovation done here was in 1977 so we couldn’t find the same kind of paneling they had back then. So we’re going with different wall coverings and you’ll see a little bit of a different design scheme and some things that we wanted to represent as it related to the flood so people could see and feel” added Crase.

Its representing the flood with a kayak…that the restaurant bought from a regular who was in it inside the bar during the flooding.

You’ll be able to sit in it minus the major flooding, because now it’ll be set up as a selfie station.

“Lets everybody understand and sort of feel the gravity of what really occurred” said Crase.

Crews will continue to work on restoring the beloved tavern…with hopes of reopening in early June.