The love affair in Michigan's Great Southwest for alfresco dining marches on. Especially when it comes to rooftop experiences. Just in time for the 4th of July weekend, Jim Champion, Nathaniel Bishop and their crew at RyeBelles Restaurant & Bar in downtown St. Joseph will introduce the adult world to their new North State Terrace overlooking the city's central business district at its busiest crossroads of State & Broad.
North State Terrace will take a bow Thursday high atop the RyeBelles building at 518 Broad Street in downtown St. Joseph as a chic new sky deck with a panoramic view of the brick lined business district and peeks at Lake Michigan from several vantage points. North State Terrace is the brainchild of both Jim & Nathaniel, but became a true family affair with others pitching in to help make the new venture come to reality.
The rooftop venue is exclusive to those 21 and over, and will serve this season as an evening cocktail lounge for those simply enjoying drinks, and as a relief-valve waiting area for those in the queue for a dining table on the west half of the rooftop which has featured outdoor dining for several years now, overlooking Lake Bluff Park, the Whirlpool Compass Rose Fountain, Silver Beach and eventually Lake Michigan stretching to the horizon.
Champion is the owner of RyeBelles and his son-in-law Nathaniel is the General Manager of the property. Both say that North State Terrace will continue to be "a work in progress" throughout the summer and shoulder seasons as they experiment with crowd controls, wait times and other issues. That is why, for at least this season, there are no plans for food service on the east half of the rooftop.
The North State Terrace looks as if it has been plucked from a hip New York City or Chicago urban neighborhood with wrought iron tables and chairs with black & red umbrellas, a nice sized, red tin roof covered bar, and several colorful and comfortable conversation pits with curvy red sofas and cocktail tables. A wrought iron railing encompasses the entire roof top on both sides of the building, and the North State Terrace is nicely broken up by several slate-grey slat-board enclosures that hide the rooftop HVAC units from public view while still affording them open-air access for venting.
Lots of greenery is in place on the sky deck, and with the tree lined streets adding to the atmosphere, it is a very relaxing showcase of the popular beach town district. At the top of the steep staircase from the indoor dining level at RyeBelles, one will turn to the right for the terrace, while dining is to the left. There are two restrooms on the terrace side of the deck for use by patrons of both sides of the roof.
Champion tells me, "We didn't expect to get open this soon, with all of the regulatory hoops we needed to jump, however the city was excellent in helping us to expedite things, and here we are…just in time for Independence Day celebrations." When things bogged down in April and early May Champion and Bishop almost threw in the towel for this year, figuring it might be a lost cause until they could get back at it this fall or early next year, but with the contractor, Tom Bussey working his magic, and pieces finally falling into place, things clicked and North State Terrace is ready for its debut.
A small private party of invited guests got the first blush peek tonight and the terrace will open to the general public tomorrow, Thursday, June 30th. The rooftop venue will be open from 6pm to 11pm nightly.
Champion praised the family affair that got the job done, citing great ideas generated by his niece and nephew Gabrielle and Nathaniel Bishop, his sister Lisa Gresens and her husband Richard, who is Senior Director of Global Laundry Design for Whirlpool, and Jim's own significant other, Ann Marie Goodell. He says, "It was a team effort, and it couldn't have been done without everyone's help." He also cited his financial team from Edgewater Bank for putting the project securely on the drawing board to make it happen.
There's little doubt that some folks will have discovered a new favorite place when they crest the staircase and take in the glory of the North State Terrace at the heart of downtown St. Joseph. It joins its sister venue on the west half of the building, the multi-tiered decks of The Buck Burgers & Brew up the block, and the forthcoming new rooftop at 221 Main a couple of blocks away as another fine birdseye experience in Michigan's Great Southwest.
(left to right) Gabrielle Bishop, Nathaniel Bishop, Jim Champion, Richard Gresens, Ann Marie Goodell and Lisa Gresens
