Steve Livingstone, one of the founders of Bayou Brewing Co., says he now hopes to try an unusual restaurant idea in the ballroom of the restored Odd Fellows Lodge, at 1017 W. First.


Livingstone currently is working on recruiting a small group of people who would own and operate the restaurant, which hasnt been named yet. He declines to disclose for now whom hes trying to recruit, but says he hopes the restaurant will open in September.


Like most of Livingstones projects, this one would combine dining and entertainment. The restaurant, which likely would serve lunch Monday through Friday, would feature theatrical backdrops that could be removed so special events, such as dances, could be held in the ballroom on Friday and Saturday nights.


To enter the restaurant, diners would get a ticket by placing a lunch order at the ticket box that already stands in front of the building, he says. The ticket system would keep out vagrants.


As part of the restaurant, Livingstone envisions that four backdrops would be set up in the ballroom at any given time. The backdrops, which would change from day to day, would depict various scenes and would include tables at which diners could sit. For instance, one corner of the ballroom might be set up to look like New Yorks Central Park, while another area would be decorated to resemble the flat in the old television show The Honeymooners, he says. Meanwhile, a big-screen TV would be set up in each scene so that while diners eat they could watch old television reruns or old movies that relate to their surroundings.


I want this to be the kind of place where you can go watch Laurel and Hardy while you munch down a corned-beef sandwich, Livingstone says.


The various backdrops would surround a center stage, on which live music or comedy shows could be held, he says.


I see this as another venue for comedy and live music, Livingstone says. As you know, I love to entertain people.


Livingstone, who currently owns Bumpers Fun Centers in Riverfront Park and NorthTown Mall, previously had owned Livingstone Winery here. He also was instrumental in the development of RiverWalk and the Bayou Brewing Co. restaurant and entertainment facility east of downtown, although hes no longer involved in those ventures.


Livingstone and a partner, Bob Whigham, bought the Odd Fellows building for $300,000 in February 1998, and have been renovating it since then.


Thus far, they have brought two tenants into the building: Cameo Catering, of Spokane, which occupies about 12,000 square feet of space on the buildings second and third floors, and David Mercury Productions, a Spokane advertising agency, which occupies about 300 square feet of space on the main floor. An additional 7,000 square feet of space is available in the basement, and Livingstone says that several artists have expressed an interest in operating studios there.


Livingstone says that he plans to build a display case on the main floor of the building near the ballroom, where he will display some of the memorabilia that he has found in the old building.