A deal which would have allowed a well-known Kansas restaurant which shut down due to the COVID pandemic, to reopen this summer under new ownership has not been able to be finalized.

The Brookville Hotel in Abilene had been set to reopen on June 23rd as “Legacy Kansas”.

Chuck and Deanna Munson, Munson Angus Farms, and Munson’s Prime steakhouse were in the process of purchasing the restaurant from Mark and Connie Martin.

The Martins released the following statement:

“We are very sad to announce that we were unable to finalize a contract with The Munsons at this time.
We will not be opening on June 23 as planned. We want to thank all of our faithful and loyal patrons that have supported us over the many years and were excited we were coming back!”

The Munsons released a statement as well:

“We believed that we had an agreement in principle to purchase the Brookville Hotel assets and made every effort to expedite the opening of Legacy Kansas to accommodate summer travel demands. It is now apparent that we will be unable to arrive at a mutually agreeable contract with the Martins. This will unfortunately prevent us from opening on June 23 rd as planned. We are, however, committed to seeing this project completed and hope better news will be announced at a later time. We want to thank everyone for their support and understanding as we work through this difficult situation.”

KSNT TV in Topeka reports unpaid taxes by the Brookville Hotel date back to 2016, totaling $160,361, and the Dickinson County Treasurer’s Office said foreclosure is looming.

The Martins formed a limited liability corporation right before going delinquent on their property taxes, according to state business records. Connie Martin signed over ownership of Brookville Hotel to BVH II, LLC in 2015, according to the Dickinson County Register of Deeds. The Kansas Secretary of State’s Office shows BVH II’s mailing address goes to her husband, Mark Martin.

The Brookville Hotel, 105 E Lafayette Ave., announced its closure Oct. 1, 2020, after 125 years in business. When it announced its comeback as Legacy Kansas it was going to combine the menus of the Brookville Hotel and the old Prime Steakhouse, with “gourmet burgers, and homemade ice cream featuring a replica of Munson’s Prime Steakhouse’s iconic ice cream maker.”