Lead's historic roundhouse has new head of steam

By Journal staff | Sunday, November 30, 2008

Previous Page

Share

• del.icio.us
• Digg
• NewsVine
• Fark

Print

Email

LEAD -- Gone are the grease and grime of road grader repairs and locomotive overhauls.

Its days of being a run-down, oversized brick garage -- first for railroaders, then for city street crews, among others -- are history for the 1901 Black Hills & Fort Pierre Railroad Roundhouse in Lead.

The building, now owned by Dr. Duane and Phyllis Sander of Lead, has undergone a year-long restoration and reconstruction.

Generations of residents and U.S. Highway 14A passers-by who might remember it as the city street shop won't recognize the place.

Where once was an oily dark of mechanical toil, chandelier light casts a turn-of-the-century glow around a two-level restaurant. Its theme recalls vintage dining cars from the early 1900s.

"It's a little more elegant than I imagined," Duane Sander said. "It is very nice to see it almost there, to see it change from the condition it was in."

Visitors can now see the turnaround of a once-derelict facility that had been slated for demolition. The new entertainment complex opens Friday, Nov. 28, and will hold its grand opening Saturday.

In addition to a restaurant, visitors will find two gift shops and a multimedia theater that will take them on a trip through time to the Black Hills gold rush.

That's what created Lead and brought the trains.

The roundhouse was built in 1901 to house up to six train engines for repair and maintenance. The building has been a landmark in the mountain town since, even though train operations ceased in 1930.

The building was used as a shop by a variety of entities over the years until the late 1990s, when the city of Lead deemed the structure unsafe and a candidate for demolition.

Jacque Fuller, former mayor and city historic preservation commission member, said that a decade ago, when the city was going to sell the roundhouse at auction, the preservation board stepped in and convinced Rapid City businessman Stan Adelstein to buy the roundhouse in 1999.

Adelstein met with a local citizens group and sought community suggestions for the building. A number of ideas were proposed, but nothing materialized until 2007, when the Sanders put their plan together.

"I am so grateful for the people who put their money on the line. They have done a great job," Fuller said.

"It was worth keeping it. We are a very authentic community. I know there is a payback to historic preservation. There are lots of small and large examples of what communities can do."

In Lead, the Sanders' project ranks on the high end of large.

They announced their plans for the restaurant and gift shop in late October 2007 and turned the development project over to Golden Visions, an economic-development group in Lead headed by Bill Mason. In all, Sander estimated the restoration cost close to $2 million to create:

* Roundhouse Restaurant-- The restaurant will seat about 150 people. A private room is available for small groups. The furnishings' centerpiece is an actual-size replica of a train engine, tender box and dining car that seems to be coming out of a mountain tunnel, complete with a waterfall.

The mezzanine has booths that resemble those in a railroad dining car. Guests will notice flat-screen televisions on one wall in their booths. The screens aren't for television viewing, however. Instead, there will be a looping video of scenery passing by the window, as if you were looking out of the window of a moving railroad car.

The rear of the building has been retrofitted with a modern restaurant kitchen and new electrical service.

The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for evening dinner. It is closed on Sundays. Call 722-1901 to make reservations.

* Vintage Caboose -- The gift shop and snack bar features gourmet foods, old-fashioned candies, a children's section, train-theme and inspirational gift items and a unique coffee bar.

* Good As Gold Gift Shop -- The gift and antique shop that carries train and railroad items, candles (soy and flameless), men's gift items, all-natural cat and dog treats, jewelry, natural soy bath and body products, pottery, art and antiques.

* Living Map Theater -- The multimedia presentation covers the Black Hills gold rush, using a 24-by-28-foot, three-dimensional map. The movie, with historical still images and movie footage, along with reenactments tells the tale of the gold rush while lights on the map will show where the events happened. The 35-minute program repeats hourly. Admission will be $6 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and $4 for children ages 5-12.

The Good as Gold Gift shop and Living Map Theater are open daily from 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. Call 717-0296 to make reservations for theater showings.

Grand opening

A  ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday, Nov. 28, officially opens the Black Hills & Fort Pierre Railroad Roundhouse. Local dignitaries and entertainers will be on hand to keep the day lively.

The staff will continue the celebration through December by wearing special Victorian costumes. For the holiday season, the theme at the roundhouse will be "A Victorian Christmas Festival."