SALISBURY — The Wrenn House, a historic building in downtown Salisbury, will soon play host to another restaurant, with the Bell Tower Green foundation seeking and receiving approval from the city Historic Preservation Commission on Thursday to renovate the building.

The historic two-story building, located at 115 S. Jackson St., was originally constructed in the 1830s and operated for some time as a female academy. More recently it was home to the Wrenn House Grill & Pub, which has been defunct for years.

The foundation, represented at the meeting by architect Bill Burgin, had already undertaken several renovations to the inside and outside of the building and needed HPC approval for several more changes, which included a new kitchen and a new patio.

“I live a block from this and I see this building every day from my backyard. It’s a wonderful facility. What Bill Burgin has put together here will hopefully transition this now absolutely unused space into something that is going to be something that we will enjoy going to, participating in and an asset to the city,” said John Schaeffer during the public hearing for the request.

Because the building is located in and considered a contributing feature of the West Square Local Historic District, any renovations to the building needed approval from the HPC. The project, which Burgin called an “adaptive reuse project” in the application, called for a 12’-by-33’ kitchen addition, a 30’-by-20’ dining addition and a 20’-by-70’ brick patio in addition to smaller site work proposals such as a ramp with handrails.

“This really is a beautiful building and I can’t wait to see it functioning and keep it a nice space for the community to utilize,” said HPC Chairperson Marcelo Menza.

Returning the building to a working restaurant has long been the goal of the Bell Tower Green foundation, with members of the board saying in the past that rent generated by the building would be put back into the maintenance and improvement of the park itself.

One citizen, Donald Plainten, raised concerns during the meeting about a lack of parking in the area, with the only existing parking currently being on-street parking. Menza noted that parking was not under the purview of the HPC, but Burgin said that potential renters have looked at the area and believe that the existing parking will both provide enough space as well as not present any traffic issues.

After the discussion, the HPC members voted unanimously to issue approval for the renovations.