The 1952 fire that destroyed the original Log Cabin Restaurant did not spell the end of Edna Williams restaurant. She operated temporarily from Thanksgiving 1952 to July 1, 1953, at the former Franklin Restaurant on Suffolk Street.
In July 1953, she was temporarily without a restaurant. Edna Williams would spend the next several months overseeing the construction of the new Log Cabin Restaurant near the former site. The new location would be atop the hill, offering panoramic views of the western valley and distant hills.
The original plans for the new building were designed by Oswald Vachon. A later news article indicated that Royal Barry Wills, a renowned Boston architect, was responsible for the architectural work. Rene Fluery, who built the first Log Cabin, would also build the new edifice.
The building was constructed with flagstone flooring to deter the spread of fire. A central heating system was installed, and the fireplace, which had been an attraction in the former location, was also included in the plans. The main dining room seated 100 patrons, and the function room seated 85. The two rooms could be combined into a single large space during busy holiday seasons.
When the building permit was approved two months later in August 1953, it was reported that the restaurant would seat up to 300. The exterior landscape design was awarded to Philip Ansell, who was identified as "one of the top landscape artists in the east".
The project may not have been possible without the financial investment made by Alderman and later mayor Samuel Resnic, who at one time was the largest individual taxpayer in Holyoke.
In 1958, the Log Cabin successfully petitioned the city to extend its water lines 6,500 feet to the Log Cabin. The business agreed to pay $18,000 toward the $50,000 project. Water was obtained from several artesian wells and, during challenging times, from neighbors' wells or from trucked-in supplies from Easthampton.
On February 22, 1968, a fire broke out in the kitchen ceiling and roof, but the restaurant continued to serve without interruption.
By 1973, the Log Cabin was serving an average of 1,000 people per day and employed 160 people. Edna Williams was overseeing the entire operation. In that year, she was honored as Business Person of the Year by the Greater Holyoke Chamber of Commerce.
In 1977, Mrs. Williams received the St. Patrick's Day Citizenship Award, and in 1979, she was honored by her alma mater, New Rochelle College, for embodying the Ursuline education.
Twenty-six years had passed at the new location, which had become a hub for dining, birthdays, weddings, and anniversary celebrations; retirement and testimonial dinners; and civic, social, and professional meetings.
We'll visit the final 14 years of this historic restaurant and banquet facility in the concluding chapter.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
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