Route 66 in the News

Fire Destroys Historic Cafe

2008-05-21 20:50:04

STROUD, Okla. - A fire Tuesday gutted the historic Rock Cafe on Route 66 in Stroud.

Fire Chief Berry McCammon said firefighters responded to the fire just after 11 p.m. and battled the flames for about four hours.

McCammon called the restaurant a total loss.

Owner Dawn Welch said she plans to rebuild the popular roadside eatery.

"I'm going to bring it back to life," she said. "I don't want the restaurant going down and a fire being the end of the story. That's not the way I want to end it."

The restaurant was built in 1936 and was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. It has been featured in numerous travel guides and also on the Food Network.

Welch has owned the restaurant for 15 years.

"My initial reaction was, 'I hope that the four walls stay up,' " she said. "The most important part to the historic integrity of the building is the walls."

Welch said she is working with her insurance company and is coming up with a plan to revive the restaurant. She said that process could take at least a year.

"It's going to take moving mountains to be able to get that done," she said.

McCammon said the cause of the blaze is still under investigation. The state fire marshal was on the scene Wednesday to assist.

McCammon had no cost estimate of the damage.

The restaurant was closed at the time of the fire, and none of its 25 employees was inside.

~Lee Logan, Tulsa World