TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — The Rod & Gun Steakhouse in northern Vigo County is rising from the ashes after a fire destroyed much of the building last winter.
“It’s going to be a long task, but we’re going to get it done,” says Bob Johnson, who manages and partially owns the restaurant with his Dad, Bob Johnson Sr.
On the night of December 11, 2023, Bob Johnson Sr. was in his apartment above the restaurant when the smell of smoke started filling his home. He looked out the window and saw flames shooting from the south side of the restaurant.
The next morning after the fire, Johnson Sr. recalled what he had witnessed saying it was scary, “I never seen anything burn so quick. My, it went fast,” he added.
Just under 50% of the building was destroyed by fire that night. The memorabilia of times gone by is now just a memory.
“So much history was lost,” Johnson said. “We lost so many pictures and memorabilia, things from the glory days.”
That history dates back to 1921 and the original owner, Eddie Gosnell, a Terre Haute businessman, who made the Rod & Gun Steakhouse a Destination.
“Eddie was a bootlegger,” Johnson said. “He ran moonshine against Al Capone to Chicago. His wife, of course, was a Madam. She had one of the most popular places in Terre Haute.”
A little over half of the building was saved that fateful night, thanks to the help of area fire departments, 19 tankers, and two aerials.
Today, the property overlooking the Wabash River, which has been in the Johnson family for 48 years, shows signs of progress. Johnson said the remodel is being done for the glory of his Dad.
“My Dad, this is the only job he’s ever had,” Johnson said. He started here when he was eleven years old; he’s getting ready to turn 87. This is all he knows, and to lose this place and his daily life would be devastating to him, and so the main reason why we’re moving on is for him.”
With the help of some loyal customers and friends, brick by brick, the family plans to reopen later this year. With that, Johns said you can expect the same great-tasting food, black Angus beef prepared the same way as before. There are even some upgrades, like the possibility of an outdoor dining area overlooking the river where part of the building once stood. “That’s tough, but luckily, my Dad had copies of a lot of things, and he still had a lot of Memorabilia that he had not put in there, so we’re going to be able to put that on the walls and try to recreate the past.
The family hopes to reopen the steakhouse later this year.
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