Historic J.P. Schneider & Bros. Store gets a not-so-extreme makeover

Lamberts design marries old and new and barbecue

MELANIE SPENCER-AMERICAN-STATESMAN Thursday, January 25, 2007

For years, I've admired the rectangular building at 402 W. Second St. with its simple Victorian-era commercial architecture and Austin Common brick exterior. I love exploring old buildings, and the J.P. Schneider & Bros. Store, built in 1873, has been on my list of places to check out in Austin.

When City Hall was going up and construction on the retail elements of the Second Street district was under way, I began to worry about my favorite downtown structure. As it turns out, my concerns were needless. The old store is a National Historic Landmark, a designation that saved it from the wrecking ball, according to designer Laurie Smith.

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When I heard that a homegrown Austin restaurant was planning to take over the space, I was even more relieved. The fact that they also serve "fancy barbecue" was icing, er, sauce on the smoked meat, so to speak.

Owned by chef Lou Lambert (brother of Liz Lambert, owner of Hotel San José and Jo's Coffee), chef Larry McGuire, sous-chef Thomas Moorman and music director Will Bridges, Lamberts opened quietly in mid-December. The group hired Smith of Laurie Smith Design to design the interior, which required many concessions to the building's historic status.

But that didn't bother them. When I met the design team recently for a tour of the restaurant, Smith's partner Pete Gasper called the structure "a little jewel." Although Lou Lambert now says he might think twice about embarking on such a complicated project again, McGuire said that if they hadn't loved the building, they wouldn't have put their restaurant in it. Besides, the building, owned by the City of Austin, had already been gutted.

"Inside, the rear stair, window trim and second-floor beaded-board ceiling are the only architectural elements of the historical interior that survived," Smith said. "Otherwise, it was an empty shell without interior walls or bathrooms, much less the air conditioning, heating, ventilation, electrical and plumbing required for a restaurant and bar."

Though some might expect a re-creation of a Victorian interior, the Texas Historical Commission wouldn't have allowed that, said Smith.

"They were very strict with us," she said. "It's very important to them that the old and the new are clearly differentiated. For instance, we weren't allowed to touch the existing brick walls except to lightly brush them in order to remove loose paint."

The result is a mixture of old and new that feels natural, as if the look has developed over time. Exposed brick walls with patches of cream paint offer texture and warmth that is accentuated by the most spectacular recycled longleaf pine floors I've ever seen. The original flooring had been damaged in fires, so a floor salvaged from an old building in Missouri was installed.

Gasper says that longleaf "sinker" pine, which came from logs recovered from the Sabine River in East Texas, was used for the custom cabinets, bar fronts, doors and casings and the bathroom partitions. It was dried in a kiln for approximately four months before being milled for use in the restaurant.

"The logs were probably harvested in East Texas, where the existing wood in the Schneider building came from, between 1885 and 1900," Gasper says. "As the Schneider store was built in 1873, the wood that was used in the building likely came from the same area—East Texas forests—and was logged around the same time."

The millwork, as well as the barstools, chairs and tables (also sinker pine), were all designed and custom-built by Ambrose Taylor and his craftsmen (Gerry Schriever, Eric Reishus and Daniel Guerrero) at Vintage Material Supply. And if you like the tables and chairs, Taylor plans to sell retail versions at his studio (Vintage Material Supply, 730 Shady Lane, 386-6404). www.vintagematerialsupply.com.

Artichoke-green tufted booths in the dining room provide a pop of color among the natural wood, brick and metal, and the windows are embellished with faux-etched vinyl inserts with words such as "steak" and "pies" for a vintage look. But the switchback staircase near the front of the bar steals the show.

"The THC didn't want us to attach the stair to the wall, so the new steel, glass and wood stair was designed to float in the space," Smith says.

Gasper recommended that I take in the view of the dining room from the landing on the stairs. I recommend you do the same, as it is a great way to appreciate the beauty and continuity of the design. The kitchen is open to the dining room—it's an entertaining arrangement that adds movement to the room.

Upstairs is a glorious, long bar, black tufted-vinyl booths and barstools, a few tables for two and a stage dressed with a cowhide throw rug. There's live music several nights a week and a prix fixe "Steak Night" on Sundays with movies (call the restaurant for details, 494-1500).

McGuire says the space is still a work in progress, but so far he's happy and busy. In fact, calling ahead for reservations is a good idea.

"A place like this is constantly changing," McGuire says. "We don't have any art yet. But, I think it's a really fun place to eat."

Fun, yes. But also a well-designed space that's beautiful without being pretentious. In other words, authentically Austin.