In neighborhoods like Hawthorne and Graduate Hospital, residents yearn for more retail and commercial options in the neighborhood. In Bella Vista, the staggering number of restaurants and shops, along with the presence of the Italian Market means that one fewer commercial space doesn’t make much of a difference. We give you 770 S. 7th St., home for years to Italian restaurant Cent’anni, which saw the business close a few years back. Now, thanks to a tip from a reader, we’ve discovered that the building is being gutted.

One off the corner

First floor

You can see the demolition through the windows

We spoke with one of the demo guys, from Mr. Clean demolition, who explained to us that the former restaurant would be turned into a single family home. He was under the impression that it was once a single family home, over a hundred years ago.

With the Saloon, Cucina Forte, Little Fish, and Fitzwater Cafe all within a block, the loss of this restaurant will probably not rock the world of folks who live nearby. But there is something to be said for the loss of institutional memory that happens when a classic, family run restaurant shuts down for good. And with the building’s conversion into a home, the memory of this place will eventually fade away.

Readers in Bella Vista (or Queen Village), are you satisfied with the commercial offerings in your neighborhood? Is it possible that there are even too many commercial spaces, and you welcome a conversion like this? Or would you prefer as many options as possible in the neighborhood?