New Mexican Restaurant to Open in Binghamton Office Building

The operators of two downtown Binghamton businesses have announced plans to open a new restaurant in a building that once was home to a department store.

Phillip and Alise Willerton operate a bar called 205 Dry and an art studio called Uncorked Creations on State Street.

The next project for the husband and wife will be establishing another restaurant. It will be known as "Puerta Roja" - which means "red door" in Spanish.

The eatery will be located in the basement of an eight-story building at the corner of Court and State streets.

Building owner John Maczko said the lease for the planned restaurant was finalized several weeks ago.

Before Maczko acquired the property in 2013, the basement space was occupied by J. Michael's Pub and Pasta House. Previous restaurants in the location included Le Caveau in the 1970s and Le Chateaneuf Francais in 1984.

The building was home to Sisson's Department store for several decades. The store closed in January 1964.

Plans for the Puerta Roja restaurant were announced n a news release distributed Tuesday by the Binghamton mayor's office.

According to the brief statement, the restaurant's interior design "will showcase luxury surroundings with comfortable table and bar seating, cozy private spaces with extraordinary attention to detail."

The Willertons could not be reached for comment about the planned opening date for the restaurant.

The studios and offices of WNBF Radio and other Townsquare Media stations are located in the building at Court and State streets.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.