Live music fans, dancing enthusiasts and adult beverage drinkers will be relieved to know that Whiskey Jacques' could once again open its doors in Ketchum by mid-December.
Karin Martin, owner of the property, announced on Friday that she plans to rebuild the bar and nightclub over the course of the summer to have the establishment ready for the beginning of the 2009-10 ski season.
Martin's saloon burned down last September after a fire started in the adjacent vacant building, which had previously housed Dirty Little Roddy's bar. A criminal investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing. According to the Ketchum Police Department, the state forensics laboratory in Pocatello is still processing some of the evidence.
Martin met with her former staff members at the Cellar Pub on Friday evening to announce her plans and let them know they will once again have jobs at Whiskey Jacques'.
Martin said she hopes excavation of the lot can begin by the start of May and construction by June 1, with the doors opening by Dec. 15.
In the immediate aftermath of the blaze, Martin had hoped to reconstruct the bar by last December. She met with the Ketchum Planning and Zoning Commission in October with a preliminary design and received permission to start work on the foundation, but still needed approval for the building itself.
However, she said progress on the project was hindered by slower-than-expected payment of her insurance money, which she didn't receive until January. As well, she said, it took some time to get approval for a small business loan due to the state of the credit markets.
After a slow ski season that saw tourism fall by 20 percent, Martin said she faces a definite financial risk choosing to rebuild now, but that she thinks Whiskey Jacques' can only help.
"I'm throwing caution to the wind and hoping it will work," Martin said. "I've had so many people talking to me and being supportive, so I just decided to ignore the economy. The town is really going to die if we don't give it some positive energy."
Martin said she was further encouraged after her recent decision to hire prolific Ketchum-based architect Jim Ruscitto to draw up a new design.
"Jim is so creative and energized—he really helped me understand his vision and gave me the enthusiasm to move forward," Martin said.
Ruscitto said he will design the building with Buffalo Rixon, a partner at the firm Ruscitto/Latham/Blanton.
"We all have stories of fun and games at Whiskey's, so this project will touch strings all throughout the community," Ruscitto said. "We're really tickled pink to be involved and will be sure to recall some of Ketchum's history."
Ruscitto said one of the design priorities will be the inclusion of a second floor and a deck facing Main Street.
Before the walls can go up, however, the final design needs to be approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Ketchum City Planner Stefanie Webster said the issue would likely come before the commission at its regularly scheduled meeting on May 26.
Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com
Karin Martin, center, celebrates with her friends and former staff members after announcing her plans to reconstruct Whiskey Jacques’ and reopen her restaurant and nightclub by mid-December. Martin’s establishment on Main Street in Ketchum burned down in September after a fire started in the adjacent building, which used to house the bar Dirty Little Roddy’s.
Photo by Willy Cook
