Shelley Olvera, owner of Cascade Locks Ale House, said the recently awarded $50,000 grant from Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program help will bring the historic building back to full use.
Shelley Olvera, owner of Cascade Locks Ale House, said the recently awarded $50,000 grant from Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program help will bring the historic building back to full use.
CASCADE LOCKS — The Cascade Locks Ale House has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Backing Historic Small Restaurants Grant Program, presented by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express.
The historic building was originally constructed at the turn of the last century as worker-housing for builders of the historic locks and canal, and has long served the working man, including timber workers in the early 1900s as the Fort Badder Saloon (which housed a brothel on the tavern’s two upper floors). In better times, it was a lively destination as the Lakeside Tavern & Hotel and later as Suzie’s Suds Locker.
Now owned by Shelley Olvera, the tavern serves up traditional pub fare (and her much-coveted secret recipe horseradish sauce) to Pacific Crest Trail through-hikers, road and highway workers, wildland firefighters, residents, and visitors from around the world.
This funding will support projects on the building’s exterior and interior spaces to bring this historic building back to full use, including the restoration of the cedar shakes and replacement of the windows on the WaNaPa and Regulator Street facades.
“I am over the moon and so grateful to have received this funding to be able to show this building the love it deserves,” said Olvera. “This building occupies an important place in the city’s history, and a really important, visible corner downtown. I am so grateful to the Trust and American Express for recognizing that and offering this support.”
Cascade Locks Ale House is one of 50 historic small restaurants across the country to receive a grant. “This funding will polish the gem that is the Cascade Locks Ale House and help our whole downtown area shine,” said Jeremiah Blue, Port of Cascade Locks executive director. “It’s so exciting to see Shelley’s vision of restoring the historic building while maintaining its special vibe.”
The Backing Historic Small Restaurants grant program significantly expanded its reach this year, doubling the number of grantees, including in 13 new states, and increasing the total grant funding to $2.5 million, up from $1 million in prior years, now reaching 125 historic small restaurants in every U.S. state, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.
American Express launched the Backing Historic Small Restaurants program in 2021 in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to support historic and culturally significant restaurants during the pandemic. Grantees were selected from a group of restaurants that operate in historic buildings or neighborhoods and provide cultural significance to their communities through their history, cuisine, and locations.
“Small restaurants are vital to our communities and their impact perseveres, as they continue to innovate and make their neighborhoods more vibrant and connected,” said Madge Thomas, head of corporate sustainability at American Express. “This year’s grantees represent the rich traditions and iconic stories of communities across the U.S. I’m so proud that we’re able to help them grow and continue to build their legacy.”
“Over the course of four years, our partnership with American Express has supported more than one hundred small restaurants” said Carol Quillen, CEO of the National Trust. “They are beloved gathering places in their neighborhoods. In many cases, they have been run for generations by the same family. Empowering small businesses that hold decades of stories is one powerful way that preservation strengthens local economies as it serves local communities.” To see the full list and learn more about this year’s Backing Historic Small Restaurants grantees, visit savingplaces.org/historicrestaurants.
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