Brick Store Boys Opening “Kimball House” in the Decatur Depot
Decatur Metro | October 29, 2012 | 10:51 am
BREAKING – Big Monday morning restaurant news here in Decatur! Dave Blanchard of the Brick Store Pub/Leon’s Full Service fame gives DM the scoop…
The Kimball House Hotel once stood on an entire city block of downtown Atlanta. It played host to famous musicians, athletes, politicians, local heroes and artists as well as scoundrels, vagrants, con men and loose women. As with many of Atlanta’s marvelous old history-laden structures, it was razed in the 1960s. In the spirit of progress and preservation, and as an homage to the barmen who kept the beautiful hotel lounge, we are resurrecting the Kimball House name. The new restaurant and bar, Kimball House, will be located at the historic Railway Depot in Decatur, Georgia. The food will encourage gathering. The drinks will encourage conversation. Kimball House will smell like bacon and taste like seawater.
Much has been done to improve the Atlanta drink scene in the last ten years, especially with beer and cocktails. We hope to contribute to this storyline and offer something new and old along the way. We hope to add to the culinary landscape and cook with the seasons while taking full advantage of our local southern bounty.
At Kimball House the rumble of a nearby train and the constant clatter of the cocktail shaker will barely be distinguishable from the laughter of neighboring tables. It will look like a restaurant but feel like home. No jackets required (except perhaps denim). Dirty jokes lauded. Local heroes, scoundrels, vagrants, con men and loose women all welcome in the Spring of 2013.
Wikipedia’s got some good info on the old first and second Kimball House if you’re interested.
Depot photo courtesy of jimmywayne via Flickr, Kimball House photo via Wikipedia
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And just like that, they’ve won my business before even opening!
Yay! I’ve always loved this venue.
Happy happy HAPPY!!!!!!!!!!! Love those Brick Store boys….
(Do they know that according to the Decatur Ghost Tour I took last week, the Depot is haunted??)
That’s the first I’ve ever heard of a haunting there. That tour may be fun, but it’s mostly malarkey.
Of course it’s malarkey. But it’s still fun to get creeped out by imagining that on a dark night, you could see the “Depression-era man in a brown suit” walking toward his demise in front of a speeding train (that’s the story we got a couple years ago on our tour)!
Call 911! There’s a man on the tracks! He’s gonna get hit by the traaaaain!
(It really is a fun tour–esp at Halloween)
Oh sweet day… Spring of 2013 is too long to wait.
Best Decatur news I’ve heard in a long time! Looking forward to the Kimball House!
Hell yeah! I look forward to watching the trendy folk eat their locally sourced organic food washed down with $12 cocktails from the safety of my Trackside barstool!
But…but…they’ve specifically invited you! I mean, amongst the “Local heroes, scoundrels, vagrants, con men…”, you’re bound to fit into one of more of those groups! (I myself do not fit into the “loose women” category, but scoundrels sounds like it could be my niche.) 😉
Yeah, you got me there. I suppose I’ve fit into each of those categories at one point or another. Plus, Mrs. J_T was pretty excited by this news so I’m sure I’ll be forced to put on my fancy jeans and try it out. And if the loose women thing really pans out, I may need to sneak out of the house when the missus isn’t looking 😉
Shuh! I’m tattling.
AMEN.
When will, oh when, the statues of these 3 men be arriving on the Square! Thanks guys for ALL that you do for my hometown!
+1 But it should be statues with a fountain…that pours beer.
Haha JT, I was thinking the same thing. Odd how you can buy a six pack of beer for less than you might pay for one pint these days.
But all joking aside, it’s great to see the Brick Store fellas take over that place – that will certainly assure long term success!
I certainly wish the BS guys well in this endeavor, as it would be awesome to see a business venture “stick” in this space. Not since The Freight Room has any incarnation experienced longevity of any kind. Can’t say for sure, but it wouldn’t shock me if the haints have something to do with it! Perhaps the BS dudes will give the place a good smudging before they start remodeling. 😉
Awesome news! The location and building are amazing as is and I have no doubt the BSP guys will improve it even more. Looking forward to Spring 2013
Hope they keep the pulley ceiling fans! Those are my favorite part.
Wow – what better folks to take over this space – can’t wait to hear more about it and pay it a visit.
I don’t know why they couldn’t have just called it the Freight Room- there were always interesting smells in there.
True dat!
I’ll never stop calling it the Freight Room.
Maybe take a page from Ga.Tech’s football stadium/field name and call it “The Kimball House at Historic Decatur Depot”. Or not.
Bring back the deck!
With a spring 2013 date, it wouldn’t surprise me if it beat all other prospective restaurants to open…..seems like the new concepts (Victory Sandwich bar, Decatur Diner replacement, Feast Replacement, etc.) are taking a really long time to build out….which doesn’t always bode well unless there are deep pockets to float the build out and initial operating costs.
Great news and I really hope they make it work. It certainly couldn’t be any worse than any of the other failed attempts over the last few years. I think a bit of unwarranted nostalgia regarding the old Freight Room has set in over the past few years. That place was just meh when it was still open. I’d venture to say this will easily be the best restaurant to ever occupy this space.
In my experience, the Freight Room wasn’t about the food, it was about the congenial atmosphere, sitting out on the deck after a bike ride. Or listening to live music when it was there. It had soul.
I’ll be happy with anything successful in that spot but I doubt I’ll stop using the “Freight Room”. Even kids born after the Freight Room closed know what is mean by the Freight Room. It’s the (unofficial) name of the location/building, not the restaurant.
Oh, I understand all the history of the building and still refer to it as the Freight Room myself. Maybe I’ll rephrase and say it will be the best venue to operate in this space. I get the charm of the Freight Room having been there many times when it was still open, but I think we tend to look back on it a little more fondly as the years pass. Meh would have been a compliment for the food. 🙂
Next venture for Brick Store Boys – cool boutique hotel instead of apartments on Bank of America corner – please
At least it’s better than a parking lot *and* apartment dwellers will bring that much more revenue to downtown businesses. Fewer cars, more feet.