Prattville Council Approves Negotiations for $5.7M Downtown Restaurant Project

The Prattville City Council passed a resolution for Project Picker House on March 17, 2026, during its regular meeting, officially initiating the process of bringing a unique 2,500-square-foot restaurant to the historic property with an anticipated investment of $5.7 million. The intent of the resolution, written as a development and cooperation agreement, is for Picker House LLC to develop the historic Picker House located on South Court Street.

Karen Phillips, the owner behind the project, sees the long-vacant building as the site of a thriving, upscale restaurant. "We're keeping and trying to restore as much as we can of the old, of the historical, but also, we're mixing it with the modern and upscale," she said. Phillips says The Picker House will offer "upscale dining with a southern flair and casual spaces overlooking the iconic Prattville Spillway." Built in the 1800s, the building has sat vacant for years.

Designer Logan Craik and construction expert Steve Cannon and Associates are driving construction and design forward on the project, with Chambless King Architects, under Project Manager Chris McNeil, finalizing design and construction plans. The Picker House project is being converted into a fine-dining restaurant with two levels of indoor and outdoor seating and decks overlooking Autauga Creek and The Mill at Prattville.

Phillips also operates 243 South, the locally recognized Southern dining spot just steps from the construction site. Positioned across the street from The Picker House, 243 South will move permanently to The Picker House once the project is complete. Executive Chef Jeremy Johnson will continue to oversee the culinary experience that patrons have come to expect from Watering Hole Management's existing restaurant space.

The council's vote was not without deliberation. District 7 Councilor Thea Langley said the project "reflects a belief in Prattville, in our downtown, and in the value of preserving and revitalizing a historic asset." Langley acknowledged that Project Picker House is not a typical economic development effort involving the recruitment of a large outside company, but also believes the project offers an opportunity to establish a framework for how Prattville handles future investments in the historic district. She advised that, without laying some groundwork, she would not be comfortable voting in favor of the resolution.

District 1 Councilor Wade Newman clarified that "this resolution is to begin a process of discovery," adding, "This is a resolution to get us to start discussions and figure out what exactly we would be doing with this particular development project. I don't see a need to stop or vote against this since it's an exploratory, fact-finding, or evidence-gathering process."

Following the discussion, the council brought the resolution to a vote. No one voted against the project, but Langley abstained from voting.

The Historic Prattville Redevelopment Authority, which originally acquired the Picker House before selling it to the Phillips group, had long believed the property was "one of the best restaurant pad sites in America." Local historian Tommy Brown notes the building's original industrial purpose: the Picker House was the first step in transforming cotton into woven cloth, with workers feeding raw cotton into machinery. The structure was separated from the main textile factory specifically to reduce the risk of fire from cotton dust and debris. The buildings beside it were lost in a 2002 fire, but the Picker House itself was saved during what Brown described as "a very long night by Prattville and other community fire departments."

With the resolution now passed, city staff will move toward drafting the formal development and cooperation agreement before any public incentives or commitments are finalized.