TALK OF CALDWELL - Learn about the renovation happening at the historic downtown Longhorn Saloon

TALK OF CALDWELL

“When it rained and the roof leaked, the men just tilted their head and let it run off the bill of their cowboy hats without interrupting the game.”

DOWNTOWN SCENE Historic Refurb

ICONIC LONGHORN SALOON UNDERGOES COMPLETE RENOVATION, AWAITS NEW TENANT

By Michelle Banse Stokes, photos by Burton Speckman and Victoria Oliver/Faith and Fire Photo & Films

If you’ve visited downtown Caldwell recently, you’ve probably noticed significant progress in the restoration of the Longhorn Saloon. Father and son team, Luke and Burton Speckman, are partners in the family venture that owns the iconic building and are heading up the restoration project.

FIRMLY PLANTED IN DOWNTOWN CALDWELL

‘We’ve always wanted to get involved with downtown Caldwell,” said Burton. “We looked at several buildings over the years and it never worked out. Finally, we were able to acquire the Longhorn Saloon and we’ve owned it for about a year and half. It took just shy of two years to close on it.”

Feeling his son’s frustration, Burton’s dad could easily relate to the acquisition pains that came along with purchasing the saloon.

“We didn’t know if we would ever close on it, but it finally happened,” said Luke. “We thought we’d bought a building but what we really bought was only a lot and three walls. We hadn’t counted on starting over on the foundation. The back wall was also a nightmare. We quickly realized we had bit off a whole lot more than we were planning on, but it is a really cool building. It stands out from everything else in town.” “It was a much grander renovation than we expected,” shared Burton. “The original brick was in such poor condition. It was literally melting from the moisture it was exposed to over the years. From what I was told, the roof had leaked for forty or fifty years. It still had the original roof from the 1880s on it when we went to replace it. It had just been patched and patched and patched.”

“We were told that everyone came to play dominoes there,” added Luke. “And we still have those tables. We were also told that, when it rained and the roof leaked, the men just tilted their head and let it run off the bill of their cowboy hats without interrupting the game.”

THE COMMUNITY GETS INVOLVED

The Speckmans learned a lot about their new venture through physical discoveries in the structure itself, as well as from local residents who were eager to share their memories of the Longhorn Saloon.

“It’s been so much fun working in the old building,” said Burton. “One of the people that came by was John E. Hejl. His grandfather was Mr. Kallus, the man who bought the building in 1895; there’s a sign on the front with his name on it. He bought it from another man that operated a mercantile

TALK OF CALDWELL

there. Mr. Kallus operated it as the Iron Front Saloon, a name reflecting the cast iron Mesker façade on the front. Right now, all we lack is the renovation of the façade itself. We’ll be tearing off everything that is not original to try and make it look as close as we can to pictures from the 1900s.”

“I was so amazed at how many people are interested in the saloon and love it as much as we do,” added Luke. “Locals have given us really good feedback without us even having to ask for it, telling us, ‘We need a steakhouse, we need a nice place in Caldwell.’ That’s what we’re leaning to trying to find as a tenant, some type of food related business.”

FINDING HIDDEN TREASURES

Early on, while removing the subfloor, Burton made a few discoveries that they plan to turn into art in the future establishment.

“We found over 100 bottles beneath the floor that were intact,” shared Burton. “Some that went all the way back to the mercantile days. One of the bottles was from Galveston Brewing and was embossed with, ‘A Meal in a Bottle.’ We also found many that are from Caldwell Bottling Works. Our goal is, once we have our tenant in place, to create a historical display with the old bottles inside the old saloon.”

“Someone also told us about an old mural,” said Luke. “We finally did find it, covered up with Masonite. It’s a giant mural, about four foot tall and 16 feet long. We figure it was probably sponsored by a beer company, as was common during that period. It was in really bad shape, but we could make out a landscape with a big lake. Very little survived but we’d really like to restore it like it was. We’ll need to find an artist that can do that.” I was so amazed at how many people are interested in the saloon and

love it

as much as we do.

Luke Speckman

STAYING TRUE TO THE SALOON’S HISTORIC PAST

Although the final outcome may be a bit different than local residents remember, staying true to the original structure is imperative to the Speckmans as they work out the final details on the establishment.

“We’re working with the Main Street board to get new renderings and new choices on how the front should look,” said Luke. “We’ll be raising the front porch because where the roof is now is not where it was originally – it was three or four foot higher. We’re going to raise the canopy really high like it was originally, as well. We’ll have to add eight-foot doors and transom windows, things that were there before. It’ll be a really different look compared to what people are accustomed to. And, in the future, it won’t be orange. We’re not sure yet on what color it will be, but it won’t be orange!”

Longhorn Saloon is located at 109 W. Buck Street in downtown Caldwell.