Collegiate Times

After more than a year, the dispute over the historical Taylor House on Main Street has finally been resolved.

Daniel Riley, a Blacksburg native who moved to Beverley Hills to pursue a banking career, purchased the Taylor House for approximately $375,000. The Taylor House, which was faced with potential demolition in January 2011, will become The Blacksburg Tavern, the planned name for Riley’s new restaurant.

Another familiar face to Blacksburg natives, Jud Flynn, who was senior executive chef at Virginia Tech from 1996 to 2005, will be serving as the tavern’s executive chef. Flynn is one of only about 100 “master” chefs in America and his previous accolades include a silver medal at the 2000 IKA Culinary Olympics in Germany and the American Culinary Federation Chef of the Year Award in 2000.

Although construction has not yet begun on the Taylor House, many of the restaurant’s new accommodations have already been planned out.

“Right now there is a plan to take two back additions off so that it can be raised to work underneath it and do necessary maintenance,” said Cathy Cook, town building official. “They also plan to extend the back in order to add a kitchen.”

Although certain small changes are being made to the historical building, Riley intends to modernize the house rather than change its physical structure. General renovations are being made to allow for better accessibility and safety. Riley has already received a permit for new security surveillance throughout the property and there are plans to build a large patio for outside dining and various amenities allowing handicap access.  

While an actual menu will not be established until the restaurant begins to take clearer shape, Flynn is planning on cooking high quality cuisine for the price of a medium quality meal in order to satisfy all of Blacksburg’s demographics.

“We will appeal to the grandmother, the young kid, the college student, and the sophisticated professor with our variety of cuisines,” Flynn said. “We want to throw a broader fishnet in order to catch more clients.”

Although there is not yet a definite timeline for renovations, the town has avoided demolishing a historic building while potentially gaining a new restaurant in the process.

“Anytime we can save a building downtown, it’s a great thing,” Cook said.

A version of this article appeared in the Aug 5 issue of the Collegiate Times.