The news in yesterday's Summit Daily was grim.The State has seized The Cellar Restaurant, as well as Samplings, her sister in Frisco. This is the second time that this has happened within a three-month period. The first was La Petite Francaise, which in a gesture of extreme good will, was rescued by some generous.
However, whether The Cellar is rescued or not, it will no doubt be bought by some other business owner. That said, its history is rather interesting. This is an excerpt from my Breckenridge Guidebook, which is a work in progress:
The Cellar Wine Bar and Restaurant,
located at 22 South Ridge Street.
Back in the 1880s, it was the home of newspaperman Charles Hardy, who owned the
Summit County Leader. Hardy's
newspaper spread the word about rich ores in the mining area. He also featured
columns praising the good people in the town. Additionally, the newspaper
featured commentary on things that needed fixing, such as deteriorating
bridges, stray dogs and railroads running off schedule. While the Summit County Leader was Republican, the
Summit County Journal, which was the
competing paper, was Democratic.
There's a bit of irony in the fact
that Charles Hardy and Christ Kaiser were neighbors. While Hardy was a staunch
Republican, on June 6, 1908,
the Summit County Journal announced that Christ Kaiser would be the
Breckenridge delegate for the National Convention in Denver.
According to the paper, "He is Democrat, all Democrat when it comes to party." Up
until the recent closing of The Cellar, the two restaurants were competing for
the coveted title of most elegant dining venue in Breckenridge. However, if one
could time travel to the late 1800s, it would be interesting to observe the
social dynamics of the two neighbors from opposite ends of the political
spectrum.
