It isn’t hard for Kristen Ethridge to envision the bustle of activity that would have taken place at 132 N. Louisiana Drive in Celina back in the day.
In circa 1912, that spot was the location of a historic forge and blacksmith shop in Celina’s historic downtown area, and it would have been a hub for gathering as locals got wagons repaired or to get tools for their farms. It also would have been a gathering place for talking to friends, Ethridge said.
“It would have been a place that would really have been kind of the heart of the community in a lot of ways, because this would have been a place where everybody would have come for something and they would have been here for a while,” she said.
This elegant tart features a savory cream cheese mousse inside a crisp dill-flavored crust, all topped with gleaming slices of smoked salmon.
It’s a vision that is top of mind as she and husband Brian Ethridge prepare to open The Forge 1912, a steakhouse in that exact spot that will aim to bring a fine dining experience to the historic downtown while also paying homage to the local history.
In mid-May, the Ethridges announced the new restaurant as Carmela Winery, the previous occupant of the historic building, announced its move to Gainesville, Texas. The Forge 1912 is slated to include a fine dining element as well as a bar, patio concept chef’s table experience and more.
For the Ethridges, the journey began in July of 2022 when they visited Carmela Winery for the first time. At the time, they began talking about how the building would look great as a steakhouse. By January, they were under contract, and with the restaurant announcement now public, the plan is to open in fall 2023.
The vision is to maintain a sense of the building’s history while bringing a new kind of dining experience to downtown Celina.
A 1971 Celina Record article posted on the wall of the building recounts the story of Grover Sheets, who came to Celina in 1912 from Plano and established a blacksmith shop. He operated the shop continuously, establishing himself as “the unquestioned patriarch among Celina business men” and also picking up the titles of Celina City Council member and Celina Mayor. Sheets sold the shop in 1971 to J. R. Wilson, Jr.
“We want to lean into the unique history of this building,” Kristen Ethridge said from inside the structure at 132 N. Louisiana Drive . “And so one way to do that is to pay tribute to Grover and what he built here as actually being a forge.”
That includes talking with local woodworkers about how to incorporate old wood in the building into a table and into the bar area, leaving the railroad structures holding up the building exposed and maintaining a corrugated metal exterior.
The Ethridges have lived in the local Light Farms community for over four years. For the family, opening The Forge 1912 is a chance to help make memories as it carries Celina’s past into the city’s future.
“I want to create a place here where people come back and they’re like, ‘I want to celebrate my birthday there every year.’ ‘This is where I want to go to propose,’” Kristen Ethridge said. “This is a place for prom. This is a place for, ‘We want to throw somebody’s 50th birthday party or celebrate a milestone.’ We want to play that role in the community.”
More information is at facebook.com/TheForge1912.
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