Carpenter's Steakhouse, Hugo, Minnesota
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Carpenter's Steakhouse, Hugo, Minnesota
Built in 1891, destroyed by fire in 2010.  Maps Related |
Carpenter’s was located at 14559 Forest Boulevard North in downtown Hugo, Minnesota bordering Egg Lake and across from where the Hugo Depot once stood. It consisted of two sections, a main section built in 1891, and a 1902 addition on one end for a dance hall.
Joseph Carpenter founded a general store in the Village of Hugo in 1891 where he sold groceries and feed. When Joseph sold the business to his son, Frank, in 1902, a dance hall was added. Frank later sold the establishment in 1922. Several owners later, in 1957, members of the Carpenter family brought it back into the family. [1]. Around 1970 Catherine Anderson and her late husband Swan purchased Carpenter's Restaurant. After Swan died in 1981, Catherine began operating the restaurant with her son, Mike.
Below are incomplete notes taken from White Bear Press Progressive Edition 1972. Full citation needed.
- Louis Burkard Restuarant and Bar
- Sold in 1947 to Henry Jandro, Jandro's Rest
- 1951 sold to Roy J. and Tille Nada, Tillroy's
- 1957 sold to Don and Joy Carpenter
- 1969 sold to Swan Anderson
Re-development Plans
In January of 2006, the Hugo City Council came closer to setting in motion re-development plans for downtown Hugo which included the area around Carpenter's. A pedestrian-friendly town center with retail, offices, and park were the focal points of the re-development plan. With new housing and business developments on the western edge of town, the city council feared new development would attract new and current businesses away from downtown. [2]
In 2007, with state approval, Hugo created a controversial $60 million Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district around downtown in order to attract and maintain business in the downtown area. Businesses in the district could seek TIF assistance to help pay for site clearing, demolition, utility hookup charges, parking and landscaping. [3] TIF assistance is meant to lighten the load of re-development rather to make it more attractive than development on new land.
On May 18, 2009, the Hugo City Council approved $400,000 in TIF assistance to build a new 8,000 square foot single story Carpenter’s restaurant on the same site. The plans called for French "trading post" architecture as described in the city's mater renovation plan, and a 1,000 foot dock overlooking the lake. [4] Construction was to begin in 2010.
Fire
On Sunday, January 3, 2010, Carpenter’s was destroyed by a fire.
The fire was reported around 9:30 am and several hours later, 50 firefighters from six departments [5] including Hugo, White Bear Lake, Forest Lake, and Centennial Lakes, continued to battle the fire in sub-zero temperatures. [6]. Smoke could be seen for miles around and U.S. Highway 61 was shut down with traffic being rerouted through the city [7]
As with other fires the same day across the Twin Cities Metro area, the cold contributed to water lines freezing. The reported high was 4 degrees Fahrenheit. Besides the weather, Hugo Fire Chief Jim Compton said that the old construction was also a factor. [8]
Reported by the Star Tribune: "[City Administrator Mike] Ericson said that Carpenter's was 'our signature restaurant in town' and said the fire would rival the 2002 American Legion fire in its loss of city history."[9]
Though the site was slated for redevelopment, the restaurant employed 18 people at the time of the fire and destroyed "countless antiques and pieces of memorabilia inside." [10] Due to the fire, the future of the new restaurant is uncertain at this time.
References
- ↑ The Citizen (newspaper) Commemorative Centennial Edition, August 2, 2006
- ↑ New downtown? Hugo ponders it, Kevin Giles, Star Tribune, April 21, 2006
- ↑ Hugo restaurant gets requested tax breaks, Debra Neutkens, White Bear Press, May 27, 2009
- ↑ Plans unveiled for old/new steakhouse, parking lot, Debra Neutkens, White Bear Press, April 15, 2009
- ↑ Hugo Restaurant Considered Total Loss After Fire, Liz Collin, WCCO. URL retrieved on January 3, 2010.
- ↑ Fire destroys a landmark restaurant in Hugo, Kevin Giles, Star Tribune. URL retrieved on January 3, 2010.
- ↑ Chad and Amy Kluck, January 3, 2010
- ↑ Hugo Restaurant Considered Total Loss After Fire, Liz Collin, WCCO. URL retrieved on January 3, 2010.
- ↑ Fire destroys a landmark restaurant in Hugo, Kevin Giles, Star Tribune. URL retrieved on January 3, 2010.
- ↑ Carpenters Steak House swallowed by fast-moving fire, Julianna Olsen, Kare11. URL retrieved on January 3, 2010.
