7 Examples of History-Preserving Restaurant Design

Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen

Curt Catallo and Ann Stevenson, the husband/wife duo behind Union Joints, are attracted to buildings that have served one purpose and are prime to serve another. Here is a look at seven of their concepts, starting with Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen.

Location: Clarkston, Michigan

Date Opened: December 1995

The birthplace of Union Joints’ famed macaroni and cheese, Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen offers up classic American comfort food with some Mediterranean inspiration within an 1840s former Baptist church.

Union General Store

Location: Clarkston, Michigan

Date Opened: September 1997

From freshly baked cupcakes and macaroons to toy harmonicas and bath and body products, Union General Store is Union Joints’ modern interpretation of a classic general store located within a historic parsonage in downtown Clarkston.

Union Woodshop

Location: Clarkston, Michigan

Date Opened: August 2009

At the Union Woodshop, it’s all about barbecue and pizza. The restaurant slow smokes a variety of meats, from brisket and bacon to chicken, while creating wood-fired pizza combinations.

Vinsetta Garage

Location: Berkley, Michigan

Date Opened: May 2012

With a menu of burgers, mac and cheese, coal-fired pizza, noodle bowls, and adult milkshakes, Vinsetta Garage aims to capture the type of cuisine mechanics may have eaten in this former family-owned automobile shop that dates back to 1919.

Fenton Fire Hall

Location: Fenton, Michigan

Date Opened: December 2013

Established in a 1938 building that housed the community fire station, Fenton Fire Hall pays homage to its history as a gathering place with wood-fired cuisine and 48 draught beers, including a house ale.

The Pumphouse

Location: Fenton, Michigan

Date Opened: July 2014

From house-made liquid nitrogen frozen custard to Faygo slushies, Union Joints’ Pumphouse Custard serves a variety of flavors and frozen desserts in the former water pumphouse for the Fenton Fire Hall.

Honcho Latin Street Food and Coffee

Location: Fenton, Michigan

Date Opened: October 2016

Veering from the traditional burgers and mac and cheese–centric comfort food cuisine at Union Joints’ other concepts, Honcho Latin Street Food and Coffee offers tacos, burritos, rice bowls, and house-infused tequila margaritas.

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