It’s been a bank, a clothing store and home to the Austin chamber of commerce. It’s been covered in paneling and since redone. And now, 300 North Main St. is vacant, patiently waiting for a new occupant.

The current owner, Edina attorney Patrick Bradley, who grew up in Austin, has been working locally with the Main Street Project to refurbish the building — built shortly after an 1869 fire left the bank homeless — and get someone new inside.

Bradley said he has received some interest, but nothing too serious. Ideally, he said he is looking for an upscale restaurant to move in, possibly Italian with a wine bar.

To make that more of a reality, Bradley said doing work in the back of the building, including the addition of an elevator, is a must.

That work is likely to get started this summer and could be completed by fall.

Bradley said once all that is done, he will be able to more accurately show interested parties what they’d be getting in the old bank building.

Making things a bit more challenging is an economy that has some developers leery of starting new restaurants. However, Bradley is confident that his patient approach, and a renovated back of the building, will be fruitful.

Sarah Douty, coordinator of Austin’s Main Street Project, said her team supports Bradley’s patient approach and are not desperate to fill the space.

The two sides came together in spring 2007, Douty said, and the Main Street Project gave Bradley a roughly $300,000 forgivable loan for the bank building and a few adjacent properties. Exterior work was completed about a year ago, leaving Bradley to finish up the inside.

Bradley could receive some help with the elevator — the port authority is currently reviewing a $150,000, interest-free loan. That could be approved at its next meeting on June 24, Port Authority director Jim Hurm said.

Douty said it’s nice to see someone so invested in their hometown.

“He’s great,” she said. “I really admire his loyalty, his desire to improve the place where he grew up.”

Bradley said Austin was a great place to grow up, and a passion for real estate combined with his love of his home led him to get involved in development.

“I see no reason why downtown Austin can’t look like Grand Avenue,” Bradley said in reference to the iconic, bustling street in St. Paul with an historic vibe.

To that end, Bradley said it was important to revitalize the building’s original look and feel, stripping off paneling and bringing out old brick work.

Bradley said he sees the potential for more development in downtown, and he hopes the bank building is the start of that.

Whether a new restaurant — or something else — revitalizes downtown and gives it a Grand Avenue-esque feel remains to be seen, but Douty said this is an important corner.

“This would be the start of it,” she said. “If anything could jump-start that, it would be this building.”