The site of one of Baltimore’s most iconic restaurants, The Brass Elephant, will reopen as a new 120-seat eatery at the end of the year. Steven Rivelis (below) purchased the Mount Vernon property with his wife, Linda, in January and is in the process of restoring the 3,900 SF 19th century mansion. The restaurant closed in 2009 and had a brief run in 2012 as the Museum, only to close again. The couple will preserve its historic details, including chandeliers, ornate wood paneling and Tiffany stained glass, while modernizing the space with splashes of color, Steven says. They recently met with the Mount Vernon Belvedere Association and will go before the city’s liquor board May 28.

The couple hasn’t decided on the name, but Steven says it will serve locally sourced, globally influenced cuisine. “We’re working on the name. It will honor the past, but indicate to new guests that it’s moved into the 21st century,” Steven says. The couple has a special connection to the storied restaurant—they got hitched there. Steve and Linda own several other businesses, including a social change consultancy, technology design firm Eye Byte Solutions LLC and Very Special Older Properties LLC, which restores historic buildings.