?Brooks Smokehouse & Spirits? to open downtown this summer
In 1928, Joseph Brooks and his wife built what became known as the Brooks Hotel & Restaurant on Third Street in Rogers City. At that time, the construction of such a building located near the main intersection of downtown would have been a very memorable event for the community. Through the years, the building has changed hands, and its appearance has been altered with each owner; however, the solid structure of the almost 80-year-old building has remained sound, and this summer the ?old Brooks building? will open, once again turning heads and marking a memorable event in Rogers City.
WHEN BOB Geno and Bob Amlotte met they probably never would have guessed that 10 years down the road they would be embarking on a project as business partners, re-opening a historic ?hot spot? for dining and entertainment. In fact, when Geno bought the building several years ago from Ron Campa who owned Lakeside Ceramics, he did so with different intentions in mind. ?I bought the building and planned to fix it up,? said Geno. ?I had another person working with me on it, but they backed out, and so it sat for awhile. I wanted to really get something done in here, so I gave Bob (Amlotte) a call.?
When someone asks Amlotte what attracted him to Rogers City, he changes the what to a who. ?Bob (Geno) brought me here,? said Amlotte. ?He called me and asked if I thought he and I could get something going. We started talking about the building, and I asked what business it had been before. Bob told me it was a restaurant, bar and motel, and I told him that excluding the motel, he should put it back to what it was originally.? And so, the partnership began. Amlotte enlisted his brother, Tim Amlotte, as the future head chef of Brooks Smokehouse & Spirits. Geno, who works as a commercial plumber around northern Michigan, said the three men each have their own parts in the plan.
?BASICALLY, Tim is the cook, and Bob takes care of the business end,? said Geno. ?I own the building, and I?ll work mostly at (the renovation) end ? getting contractors lined up. We all have our own jobs to get done here, but we have to start with tearing it all out, and contacting engineers to put together some blue prints. Once that is done, I?ll talk with contractors to get estimates.? The restaurant and bar will highlight slow-cooked southern BBQ, including beef ribs and pulled pork. The meats will be slow-cooked using hickory smokers, which will be located on the outside of the building. ?Tim has been cooking BBQ for about the last 15 years,? said Amlotte. ?He has quite a following?and people will come from a long way just for his side dishes.?
Geno recently purchased the empty lot next door to the old Brooks building, and has plans to turn it into an outside eating area. There are plans to landscape that area as well, putting up some type of fencing, and including outdoor lighting. There will be live entertainment highlighted at the Brooks Smokehouse & Spirits, tentatively planned for every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Amlotte, who plays bass guitar in a classic rock band, said entertainment is always an afterthought. ?Everyone needs something to do, and we plan on leaving the door open and bringing the people in (with music),? said Amlotte.
AMLOTTE SAID the restaurant will seat between 130-150 people, and will have a warm, relaxing, and entertaining feel. ?We want to focus on the history of the building throughout, and we will have a classy nautical theme in the bar area,? said Amlotte. ?Bob has a 6-foot model of the SS Bradley that we?ll place behind the bar.? The two plan on including wood flooring throughout, and both are hoping to find floors that can be worked with under the old carpet that is presently there. The front windows, which were changed years ago to look nautical, will be replaced again to restore the large windowed historic look that was original to the building. ?We?ll have big front windows, so when you drive by, you?ll be able to see everything inside,? said Geno. ?Hopefully, you?ll want to come in and check it out.?
For the time being, the project is at a slight standstill, but Geno and Amlotte have been faithfully working toward its success every day. Amlotte, who was born and raised in Alpena, said the two are looking into grant funding that would help them fix the front fa?ade of the building, and in turn, help beautify downtown Rogers City. Geno came to Rogers City because it was a central location for his plumbing work, and he also wanted to live on the water. He said he wants to work on fixing up his building in order to help fix up the downtown, and pull in some economic prosperity to the area. ?If we bring in the people that we want to bring in, then everyone will benefit (economically) from this,? said Geno.
THE BUILDING has stood in its location since 1928 when Joseph Brooks built it. The Brooks family sold the building to Charles W. and Margaret (Smith) Heinzel in 1940. According to Art Heinzel, one of the four sons to Charles W. and Margaret, his parents kept the Brooks name on the business. ?My dad kept the same name, Brooks Hotel, but he built the bar that was attached to it,? said Heinzel. ?Three of us boys (
?We weren?t financially able to rebuild,? said Eustice. ?After the fire, the building stood vacant for several years until it was sold to Ron Campa who put the ceramic store in.? The ?old Brooks building? has come full circle in its nearly 80 years of existence, and this summer it will once again open its doors to provide food, entertainment, and good spirits to all who enter.