Re-creating a city landmark is a noble effort.

So who better for a job like that than a guy named Chuck Noble?

The longtime Modesto resident, businessman and downtown landowner is building the new Old Mill Cafe at 612 Ninth St.

Noble, who used to own Noble Auto Parts downtown and has other property in the city's core, had been retired for 20 years when Old Mill owner Karin Sales approached him about building her a new cafe.

Sales is being displaced from the Old Mill's original home at Ninth and Needham streets. That small triangle of land is in the path of an overpass connecting Needham and Kansas Avenue.

Noble understands her situation.

The building he owns across the street from the Old Mill also must go.

The lights won't go out on his longtime tenant, Choice Lighting, though. Noble's putting finishing touches on a new building for Choice Lighting on land he owns at Ninth and N streets.

When Sales asked her faithful customer if he could do something for her, Noble agreed.

And he's been busy ever since, putting up a new version of the Old Mill on his 612 Ninth property -- once home to Smitty's diner.

With completion of the project due about Aug. 1, Noble is anxious to turn over the keys to Sales and get on with his retirement.

What Sales will get is a turnkey operation that will allow her to step right in and deliver the same kind of food in a brand-new setting.

At 4,900 square feet, the new restaurant is about five times the size of the old one.

There are booths in the main seating area as well as separate rooms for overflow diners and banquets. There's even a horseshoe-shaped counter for those who favor traditional diner seating -- so save me a couple of spots.

The white with blue trimmed interior is decorated with windmill paintings and Dutch collectibles, building on the Old Mill theme.

There also will be outside dining in a covered patio just off the main room and looking out over a newly landscaped parking lot.

The place also features the latest in restaurant equipment, food preparation areas and storage -- all the better to serve up all your old, as in mill, favorites.

While Noble is the key to the cafe's re-creation, Sales acknowledges lots of help from other loyal customers and her family.

For his part, Noble was just glad he could help and thinks the move will pay off.

When he looks out from the new Old Mill at all the traffic on Ninth today, he just shakes his head. "When they put the freeway (Highway 99) in, it killed business down here," he said. "Now look at it."

Those motorists can't miss the new diner. Although it won't have a windmill outside like the old one, there will be a painting of one. Just inside the entrance, however, there's a large model of the original Old Mill. With the flip of a switch, it lights up and shows the silhouettes of diners.

Sales knows filling the new version of her new cafe won't be as easy as flipping a switch, but she's confident customers will embrace it -- same service, same food, new surroundings. What's not to like?

And Noble, for one, can't wait to take a seat at the counter.

The project's been a lot of work, but he made a promise to Sales. "I keep my word," he said -- a noble deed for a noble cause from a guy named Chuck Noble.

Speaking of local landmarks, Modesto's Scenic Drive-In is about to celebrate another milestone.

Home of the Knockout Burger, the family-owned drive-in will mark its 45th year in business Friday. Eating a Knockout -- complete with avocado, jalapeno peppers, bacon, tomato, cheese and meat -- has been a rite of passage for locals for generations.

If you haven't had one, stop by 1151 Scenic Drive about 7 p.m. Friday, or any other time, and give it a try. Just remember, this Fee-family creation packs a punch -- hit me again.

Have an item for Business Beat? Send it to David W. Hill, Work & Money team leader, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352. Or e-mail to biz@modbee.com.