Changes afoot for historical Hamburger Inn Thursday, April 22, 2010
By MELISSA MACKEY
Staff Writer
Bill Michailidis understands how iconic the Hamburger Inn is to downtown Delaware.
And the local businessman is hoping to carry on the historic torch for one of the city’s best-known dining establishments.
Michailidis purchased the Hamburger Inn at 16 N. Sandusky St. from its former owner Beverly King in late March.
Michailidis, who also owns the BP gas station at 17 E. William St. understands and respects the landmark eatery and what it represents to its many regulars.
“I like the history of the town,” Michailidis said. “The Inn is really a social network and is packed with all the local people throughout the day.”
The new owner is making some alterations and additions — the restaurant had a slight name change to Hamburger Inn Diner. The menu also features some new offerings, including barbecue beef and pork and salads, as well as the ability to order take-home lunches and dinners.
Other offerings on the new menu will include soft-serve ice cream, a large selection of desserts, cappuccino and espresso and different varieties of chili. Dishes will be made to order if a patron wants something not listed on the menu, Michailidis said.
Although the menu is in a more compact format, the prices have stayed the same, Michailidis said.
Interior renovations have been underway since the restaurant’s purchase. The previous lime green walls have been painted bright orange and red; the bright cafeteria lighting has been replaced with softer, warmer lighting; and the establishment received a good cleaning, including a face-lift in the bathrooms, Michailidis said.
The well-known 1930s-era wrap-around counter and diner stools will stay, but will be refinished and restored, Michailidis said. The kitchen’s appliances will also be replaced with updated stainless steel while many of the older appliances, including an ice cream cooler, will be donated to the Delaware County Historical Society.
Hamburger Inn previously employed five people; now, the restaurant employs 12, Michailidis said. For now, the employees are dressed in red, white and blue uniforms, but that will change when an updated logo is revealed. The logo will have a “diner feel” with the words “Hamburger Inn Diner, Est. 1932” in red and black lettering with a picture of a double burger and fries, Michailidis said.
Michailidis would like to work on the building’s exterior. The building is located in the historic downtown boundaries, so any plans would need approval from the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. Potential changes include the addition of outdoor seating with a patio and a new awning. Preliminary plans have yet to be submitted to city planning staff for review, planning administrator Shawn Leininger said.
The restaurant is also offering expanded hours. It is open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Those hours will be further expanded once the final renovations are in place. The hours will extend to serve the dinner crowd and possibly until midnight on Saturdays, Michailidis said.
While regulars to the Hamburger Inn will notice these differences, they won’t see changes to what has made the restaurant a local favorite.
The bakery-fresh smells of cinnamon rolls, fritters, pies, breads, rolls and biscuits, still emit from the kitchen, and the usual staples are still offered, including eggs, bacon, potatoes and toast and hamburgers, fresh-cut fries and the Inn’s chili.
The BP, which is adjacent to the Hamburger Inn’s back entrance, will also likely see some changes in the next year or two, Michailidis said. Plans include expanding the small convenience store component of the station to offer more products to help fill the void left by the vacant Kroger building on South Sandusky Street.
Patrons could experience a one-stop shopping experience by filling up their vehicle, picking up a bottle of wine and grabbing take-out dinner at the Hamburger Inn before going home for the evening, Michailidis said.
Michailidis made his start in the restaurant business 30 years ago. He opened Fame’s Diner in 1980 at the Columbus Convention Center, the City Center Diner in 1989, the Boulevard Grille in 1991 and other various restaurants housed in shopping centers and malls, Michailidis said.
The Hamburger Inn opened in 1932 under the ownership of Glenn Hudson and has undergone only a few changes in ownership throughout the years, Michailidis said. It originally seated 12 patrons at one counter.
Published in the Delaware Gazette, Delaware, OH, April 22, 2010
Major updates proposed for Strand and Winter Street
HISTORY OF THE DELAWARE GRAPE
Bill Bossert (class of 1957) sent this interesting history of the Delaware grape.
In September, 2009, George Campbell was the ninth person inducted into the Delaware County Agriculture Hall of Fame. Campbell was one of three men who popularized the Delaware grape in the 1850's. The "Castle" (formerly the OWU Lyons Art Hall and now known at the Arts Castle) was built at the corner of Elizabeth and Winter Streets as the Campbell family residence. Elizabeth Street, Catherine Street, and Campbell Street are all named after Campbell's family members.
In the 1950's I was told that Tom Thomson's ggggrandfather produced the Delaware Grape. I saw no evidence of this grape as I grew up in Delaware. What was the story behind this grape and what was it's signifigance? Campbell's induction peaked my curosity and the internet provided me with the information that many previous generations did not know. The Delaware Grape is one of the most significant events in Delaware's history and deserves more recognition.
The Ohio State University Extension internet site had the best information on the Delaware Grape, listed below.
Delaware Grape
This is a story of a king, a castle, a fire, a fever, Delaware County history and a $360 grapevine. And so I begin a tale of a grape, seemingly ordinary and unimportant, that made history around the world.
"Once upon a time, in a small middle America town named Delaware, there occurred an event in horticultural production which made history. It came to be known as 'grape fever'." This was the opening sentence of an article in the July 13th 1992, Delaware Gazette.
In 1837, a blacksmith and wheelwright by the name of Benjamin Heath, moved to Concord Township from Frenchtown, New Jersey, bringing with him a grape vine that had been given to him by an elderly Swiss gentleman of Huguenot ancestry, named Paul Henry Mallet Prevost, who came to the US in 1794. One source says that this grapevine was from the Bonaparte Garden near Bordentown, New Jersey, where Joseph Bonaparte, the former King of Spain and brother of Napoleon built an estate in the early 1800's. What the connection was between the two men is unclear.
Mr. Heath grew and cultivated the grape for a number of years on his farm on Freshwater Road in Concord Township, Delaware County. He recognized the excellent qualities of the grape and the vine and shared cuttings with neighbors and friends. In 1853, Mr. Heath gave a basket of grapes to Abram Thomson, editor of the Delaware Gazette and himself an ardent horticulturist. Mr. Thomson was so impressed with the wonderful characteristics of the grape that, in 1855, he sent a specimen to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for their study. According to reliable sources, although controverted, the Society named it the "Grape from Delaware, Ohio" and it became the "Delaware Grape." The Society was so excited about this wonderful new grape that they awarded Mr. Thomson a silver goblet or vase and a medal. His wife was given a life sized oil painting of her husband that had been commissioned in his honor.
Abram Thomson was one of the three world-famous Horticulturist in Delaware County to promote, cultivate and sell the Delaware Grape. Mr. Thomson had one of the most complete and extensive collections of fine pears, numbering more than 80 different species - grown on mostly dwarf trees, which he made his specialty. He also grew a variety of flowers and fruits, all within the narrow limits of a town lot (on North Sandusky St. which also consisted of glass conservatories - greenhouses. Thomson must have had a huge quantity of vines on his property because he himself lost 20,000 young vines when a mysterious fire gutted his greenhouse. The discovery and introduction of the Delaware Grape is one of the most notable and important events connected with the horticultural history of Delaware and the credit for this belongs to Abram Thomson.
The discovery of this fine grape was also recognized by the American Horticultural Society and demand increased dramatically due to the world-wide publicizing of its qualities. Delaware Grapevines were sold in enormous quantities at prices ranging from $1 to $5 per plant - an exorbitant amount in the 1850's as the average unskilled laborer made only about $1 per 12 hour workday, making the cost of the grapevines by today's money from $72.00 to $360.00 each!
The popularity of the grape was so intense that grape growers were stretched to their limit keeping up with the demand as the vine was exported all over the world an thus began what was known as "grape fever." Thousands all over the world wanted to begin cultivating the grape with the expectation that they would reap "great profits" with the mindset similar to the California Gold Rush, which had taken place just a few years before. The most extravagant anticipations and expectations were entertained as to the profits of grape growing and thousands embarked in this pursuit without the skill or knowledge needed and as for their success, the result for most was failure, as expected.
Two other prominent county residents also enter the picture in the mid-1850's -- George Washington Campbell and Frederick P. Vergon.
George Campbell, originally from Courtland County, New York, moved with his family to Sandusky, Ohio. While living in Sandusky, he became interested in the cultivation of grapes, which was becoming the predominate horticultural industry of that region. Some say that he was the first to bring into cultivation, some of the native grapes. He moved to Delaware and soon partnered with William Little to run the Blue Limestone Quarry which is now Blue Limestone Park. When Mr. Campbell wed William Little's daughter, Elizabeth, in 1846, Little presented as a wedding gift to the couple, a beautiful castle made out of the famed blue limestone.
Campbell also had a small vineyard to the east of the house where he developed and improved a variety of fruits, most notably the world famous Delaware Grape which he is also credited as being the introducer. Campbell was one of the earliest pioneers of the layering method of producing new grapevines. He also owned land in the county where he grew 500,000 vines and over 100 varieties bringing the much sought after grape vines to the world.
This castle is now known as the Arts Castle on Winter and Elizabeth Streets in Delaware. Today, several of the streets surrounding the castle bear the names of members of the Campbell family: Elizabeth Street, Catherine Street (named for George and Elizabeth's daughter), and Campbell Street.
Enter the third horticulturist to grow and propagate the Delaware Grape in its earliest years, Frederick P. Vergon. Born in eastern France, he came to America as a small child. In 1834, his parents came to Columbus by way of river and canal and settled in Delaware County. They began to clear the land and farm, calling their 115 acres, Greenwood Farm located on what is now Lake Street, near Horseshoe Road. Starting in 1855 and continuing for 18 years, Vergon propagated thousands of vines for Campbell, who many times was "sore put" to supply the demand. He also specialized in the "layering" technique for propagation. He also had more than 50 acres of apple orchards, yielding 20,000 bushels per year and perfected the idea of a cold storage building where he could store fruit and ship them year around. He married Kate Jones, a second cousin to Stonewall Jackson. He was also the originator of the grass mulch system of orchard culture in the US, growing vast acres of grasses to be cut down and piled up to a depth of 8 inches under his apple trees . Vergon was also one on the few breeders of shorthorn cattle on Ohio.
In 1873, Vergon got stopped growing the Delaware Grapevine commercially and got rid of his cattle to pursue bigger dreams. He build Greenwood Lake, a 25 acre lake surrounded by a grove of 18 acres known as a "pleasure ground." Included in this amusement park were a dance pavilion, a bowling alley, picnic grounds and plenty of boats on the lake. He also built an ice house, which was big business, where he supplied Delaware and vicinity with ice, made from the lake. Greenwood Lake became a world-famous resort, visited and promoted all around the globe. It is now a private area, owned by the Salvation Army located on Lake street on the east side of Delaware. Ironically, no alcohol was available at the resort.
One well-told tale relates Vergon's son catching a 4 ½ lb. bass out of the well stocked lake and presented it to the visiting President Rutherford B. Hayes for his breakfast.
Vergon planted an elm tree in the front yard of his homestead, and became so fond of his "pet elm tree" that he had a copy made of it in stone. This monument measures 10 feet long, 8 feet high and 2 feet thick at the base, and was to be placed on his family plot in Oak Grove Cemetery on South Sandusky street to serve as the family monument. He had this completed long before his death in 1919 so he could see it himself. The unique memorial has perched among its leafy branches, an owl, several birds and nests full of eggs. Two tree toads scamper up the trunk and other animals hide in the leaves. By the way, the tree survived the Dutch Elm disease but not progress as it was cut down where it had stood for 125 years to create the Route 23 bypass in 1965.
What was the origin of the Delaware Grape? No one knows for sure. There was a story that it had been sent from France at the turn of the 19th century, along with a lot of other grapevines, perhaps to stock Bonaparte's nursery. However it has been found to be devoid of the characteristics of all foreign grapes (both the seedlings and the fruit) and is said to be purely native American in habit of growth and adaptability to our soil and climate, that the idea it is foreign has been dismissed. It is commonly supposed that it is a chance seedling, perhaps a new variety of native grapes.
The Delaware Grape, widely grown by vintners today, has stood the test of time. This smallish pale red grape, is grown throughout the Northeastern US, especially New York, and in Ohio, along Lake Erie. It is widely used in some premium champagne blends and in a few , used to produce a dessert wine and to make a light fruity semi-dry drinking wine. It is decidedly grapy-tasting. It is a favorite table grape in Japan and also very well known in places in Europe. Those who plant a Delaware Grapevine carry on the legacy of one of the most famous horticultural discoveries given to the world.
The vine can be found at Miller's Mail order nursery, www.millernursery.com. Wine is sold at Buehlers, Shamrock Wineries in Waldo, and Wyandotte Wineries in Columbus.
Article provided by Donna M., Master Gardener - Delaware Grape
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Wikipedia does not give Delaware as much credit....
The Delaware grape is a cultivar derived from the grape species Vitis Labrusca or 'Fox Grape' which is used for the table and wine production. [1]
The skin of the Delaware grape when ripened is pale red almost pinkish in colour that has a tender skin and juicy sweet flesh. [2] It has small fruit clusters with small berries that do not have the pronounced 'foxiness' of other Labrusca grapes. It is a slip-skin variety, meaning that the skin is easily separated from the fruit. The grapes are used to make wines including dry, sweet, icewine but is famed for spicy sparkling wines that do not have much of the objectionable foxiness character that other labrusca grapes contribute to their wines.[3] The wine is light pink to white in colour.
It is a commercially viable grape vine which is grown in the Northeast and Midwest of America and is vigorous when grafted onto a phylloxera resistant root stock. The Delaware grape is susceptible to downy mildew and ripens earlier than Concord. [4]
The Delaware grape is also a table grape variety sold in supermarkets throughout Japan, where labrusca grape varieties are popular for their fragrance. Delaware Punch is named for the Delaware grape from which its flavor is derived.
History
The Delaware grape was probably discovered in Frenchtown, New Jersey, but was first brought to public notice by George Campbell, of Delaware, Ohio in the 1850s. Although it is said to be an American variety its parentage is unknown and is thought to have a significant Vitis Vinifera component in its background, possibly explaining the susceptibility to fungal diseases and the requirement for grafting onto phylloxera resistant rootstock for best growth. [5] T.V. Munson believed it to be a hybrid of labrusca, vinifera, and "bourquiniana," a class of vines now believed to be hybrids of Vitis aestivalis.