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
I
f 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.
“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.”
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.”
“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
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.”
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
CALDWELL, TEXAS |
14
