Shelly Kaltenbaugh Zelienople Zoning and Coding Enforcement officer looks around on the old steps in the Kaufman House in Zelienople during a tour on Tuesday April 24, 2018.

ZELIENOPLE — Seven years after a fire forced the Kaufman House to shut down, reconstruction is nearing completion, and the building will soon reopen for business.

“They want to get the restaurant going this fall,” Aaron Rieger, the owner of R & R Construction Co., said. “At least turned over to the guys so they can do their final things to get the restaurant going.”

While currently in the midst of a full renovation, the building was once the crown jewel of the borough.

Built in 1903 by Henry Stokey, the Kaufman House served as the main showpiece of Zelienople for over 100 years.

The reconstruction project began in March 2017, after the borough bought the building from Butler County Tourism and Convention Bureau.

The borough hired R & R Construction to work on the outside of the building and they also have worked for Pat Boylan on the interior of the building.

The upper floors, which will be populated by offices, will likely be done after the restaurant and have yet to be leased, Rieger said.

Rieger also expects to have the exterior of the building finished in the next two to three months.

In no more than 15 years, Boylan will own the building and restaurant, according to the agreement.

Read the full story in Wednesday's Butler Eagle.