Recipe for renovation

Plantation Steakhouse satisfied the appetites of ravenous area diners for more than six decades, serving everything from succulent Kansas City strips and T-bones to chicken, seafood and gizzards.

Today, the renovated structure that once housed the popular Topeka eatery, located at 6646 N.W. Topeka Blvd., is serving up an equally delicious dish — one that can't be found on any menu but should leave future homeowners salivating.

Walking into the old Plantation now is a much different experience than it was when it was a restaurant. Now the former restaurant is a gleaming three-bedroom, three-and-a-half bath, 3,300-square-foot house located on seven acres.

"It's going to make someone a nice house," said Tom Nold, owner of Home Improvement Gallery, which purchased the former restaurant in April 2018.

Upon entering the space now, the home features a large, open living space that leads into a kitchen adorned by a bright, red wall. An electric fireplace sits inside of a stone and wood mantle in the living room.

Menus from Plantation Steakhouse hang on the walls in the kitchen, adding an element of history to the house.

The master bedroom, located to the left of the living room along with two other bedrooms, features his-and-hers closets as well as a large walk-in shower.

A staircase off of the kitchen leads to a half-finished basement with an open room.

An open house is scheduled for Tuesday from 4:30 to 8 p.m.

Nold said renovating the old restaurant into a house involved more than just fixing it up. He said his team came in and gutted the whole place, leaving behind only the original structure.

Nold said Home Improvement Gallery, which flips houses along with remodeling and repairs, believes in revitalizing places instead of tearing them down.

"You know you can take an old structure and turn it into anything nice," Nold said. "Opposed to tearing the whole thing down, we decided to gut the thing down to the studs and redo it."

Since the house's interior walls were taken down, Nold said they were able to decide the layout of the house.

"We knew we wanted the big cathedral ceiling (and) we knew we wanted the fireplace to be really awesome," Nold said.

Nold said Plantation Steakhouse was a place he visited while it was still in business, and that he especially enjoyed the steaks and onion rings.

Plantation Steakhouse opened in Topeka in 1949, according to The Topeka Capital-Journal archives. It closed in 2012.

Nold said the house is great for all kinds of households, such as families or older couples.

"I just want someone to come in and enjoy it," Nold said.