The Romps family, who have owned the Stonehouse for over four decades, are looking forward to welcoming the community back through its new doors.

“Now that the hardest part is behind us, we are more excited every day to be back in business on our corner,” said owner Starr Romps.

Before the December 2024 fire that destroyed the building, the Stonehouse operated at 2223 Ludington St since 1982. While John Sr. and Starr Romps own the building, their sons, John Jr. and Matthew, managed and operated the Stonehouse.

Starr said, “Our entire family has been working side by side to bring the Stonehouse back to life. Our two top chefs have also been involved in the process all along.”

The Stonehouse Restaurant & Lounge in Escanaba will have a similar conversational bar with more seating upon reopening to the public. (Courtesy photo)

The balance between preservation and improvement has guided many of the decisions made during the project, according to Starr.

“One of our top priorities was to maintain the original character and identity while also making obviously needed improvements to the design, such as modern handicapped restrooms and the absence of stairs inside the building,” Starr said. “(Roy Ness Contracting & Sales Inc.) was able to reconstruct the iconic front entrance.”

Additionally, Starr said the interior woodwork has been handmade by family as it was in the original building, the restaurant will have a similar conversational bar with more seating and, upon reopening, there will be a patio area on Lincoln Road.

As for the menu, Starr said it will remain largely unchanged, featuring the dishes that made the Stonehouse a favorite amongst locals and tourists. Generations of families celebrated birthdays, anniversaries and special occasions at the restaurant since its beginning.

“We are fortunate to have many of our staff returning to work for us, so we expect to have the same quality food and service that people have come to expect,” she said.

John Sr., right, and Starr Romps are looking forward to welcoming customers back into the Stonehouse Restaurant & Lounge at 2223 Ludington St in Escanaba. (Courtesy photo)

While the family has had substantial support and community encouragement, the rebuilding process has not come without its challenges.

“One of our biggest challenges in the rebuilding process is the stress involved in the whole process,” Starr said. “While we are familiar with all of the aspects of the restaurant business, we are not as knowledgeable in the insurance and construction fields. It’s been a huge learning process while also dealing with the emotional and financial issues associated with the tragedy.”

She added that insurance proceeds did not cover all rebuild expenses, though BayBank has been helpful in working with the family on additional financing.

The Romps family has not yet announced an official opening date, as several final preparations and improvements remain to be completed.

“At this point, we still have no equipment or furnishings inside the building,” said Starr. “The parking lot needs to be paved. We need to hire and train our staff and stock our inventory.”

Firefighters are shown after extinguishing a blaze at the Stonehouse restaurant in Escanaba on Dec. 21. The building was destroyed. (R. R. Branstrom | Daily Press file photo)

Starr said required inspections for insurance, the health department and the liquor commission are also still on the to-do list.

“We are not yet ready to give an estimated opening date, but are working very hard to make it as soon as possible,” she said.

Starr credited the outpouring of community support with helping solidify the family’s decision to rebuild.

“We are most excited about welcoming back all of our loyal customers,” Starr added. “The community support that we have received since the day the building burned down has been so tremendous. We can’t wait to come back and show you our appreciation.”

The fire that destroyed the iconic building broke out on the morning of December 21, 2024. The Escanaba Department of Public Safety declared in March 2025 that the fire was likely caused by an electrical issue, starting in the ceiling joists of a utility/storage room in the basement of the building.

The fire impacted not only the Romps family but every employee of the Stonehouse, whom Starr considers family.

“The emotions we all had at the time of the fire will always be a part of us,” Starr said. “It was so overwhelming, because it did not happen to just one of us, but it happened to our entire family and all of our employees four days before Christmas. The people who we would look to for support during a tragic time were all going through the same stress as we were. It took a long time for most of us to get over the absolute shock of it all and to start rebuilding our lives into our new normal.”

In the months following the fire, Starr said her sons launched a food truck to serve some of the restaurant’s most popular menu items while also giving customers a way to redeem remaining gift cards.

The short-term venture helped sustain a connection to the community during the rebuilding period before the family ultimately decided to sell the truck upon moving forward with plans to rebuild the restaurant.

“We could not make the final decision to rebuild until we had all of the information that we needed to decide if it was feasible,” Starr stated. “We had to take into account not only the cost to rebuild but the loss of income for such a long period of time during the rebuilding process. It was a family decision.”

Starr said that, after weighing many factors, the decision ultimately came down to what mattered most to the family and the business.

“In the end, the considerations that we felt were most important were our very loyal customers, our dedicated staff who are more like family, the tremendous community support we received after the fire, and the Stonehouse legacy that had taken us 40 years to build,” Starr concluded. “We could not walk away from all of that.”

The community can follow updates on the Stonehouse’s progress by visiting their Facebook page.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.