RailBridge Cellars & Company is hoping to make its name as iconic as the location for their new restaurant venture in the ground floor of the Elks Tower. It is set to open this fall, and is hoping to celebrate both local California cuisine and RailBridge wine, as well as maintaining the classic vintage feel of the historic Elks Tower.
Michael Gelber, president of Alexis Ventures, which owns and operates RailBridge Cellars & Company, hoped the design would be simple, comfortable, and all about the experience. He also desired to achieve a space that captured the historical feel of the building; an evolution from the 1920s period, with an earthy atmosphere that nods to the history of its surroundings. The style promises to capture this ambiance, while still maintaining a contemporary and sleek feel. The original 1926 brick, steel and woodwork are the foundation for the design, and feature prominently in the space. Other features, such as Carrara marble to be developed into tabletops, floors and bar tops, attained from renovations to the state’s historic Library & Courts building, large windows looking into an underground lounge area (which once housed the Elk’s Lodge and pool), and final aesthetic touches designed by artist Steve Hamm, will create an inviting and vintage atmosphere.
Gelber puts it best, “We’re just trying to tie all this history together—keep it old school, keep it simple…Really the best things were those that existed back in the day—not the ‘make and replace.’ It’s the things that lasted forever and ever. That’s where we’re trying to come from.”
For more information, click here to read the article originally published in Sactown Magazine.