A century-old former restaurant has been transformed into a religious community center, with the help of pro bono work by Norwalk-based Goldman, Gruder & Woods.

Real estate attorney practitioner Kenneth M. Gruder, one of the firm’s founding partners, said it has taken 18 months to facilitate the sale of the once-Three Bears Restaurant, which was owned by the Vazzano family, to Chabad of Westport, Wilton, Weston and Norwalk, which is part of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement within Orthodox Judaism. The purchase price was $1.6 million.