BILLINGS- It’s been nearly two years since the historic Rex restaurant closed suddenly, and customers have since been eager to learn about the future of the building.
Contractor Greg Hardy said his team at Hardy Construction has demolished the inside of the building, a project that’s taken several months, and he hopes to be finished with the renovations in August, with an opening date sometime after.
Owner Rick Larson will keep Rex in the name, calling the steakhouse Buffalo Block at the Rex, according to Hardy.
Buffalo blocks were the original pavers used along Montana Avenue back in the day, something that the new restaurant plans to use as well, according to Hardy.
Permits for the building were received to the Billings planning department last May.
Larson, a Billings resident, is a long-time figure in the Billings business scene. He founded Employee Benefit Management Services, a health insurance administrative firm, nearly four decades ago in Billings.
When asked what the restaurant will look like when it opens as a steak house, Hardy replied “totally different.”
Q2 News has reached out to Larson for comment and will update this story with his response.
