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<br /> <br />Gem Lake News Page 3 of 6 <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Freddie Roth's Tavern Then and Now (continued from page 2) <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> The move took place because Shorty Urban <br />wanted to build a gas station there. Shorty <br />was married to one of Henry Hoffman's <br />daughters. Henry owned the lot by this time <br />and wanted to make the gas station a reality. <br /> <br /> Eventually the station was called HCO, <br />which stood for Hoffman Company Oil. The <br />old tavern building was going to be donated <br />to the fire department for a controlled burn <br />but instead it was finally sold to Dick <br />Arcand's son, Richard Arcand. Rich moved <br />the building to its current site on Goose Lake <br />Road in 1969. <br /> <br />"I was just married and had a daughter and a <br />set of twins," said Richard Arcand. "My <br />father-in-law, Henry Hoffman, sold me the <br />tavern building for $1, but we had to pay the <br />cost of moving it, which amounted to about <br />$1100." <br /> <br />The place had all wood floors, part of which <br />were used for a nicely sized dance floor. The <br />walls were covered with paneling that had <br />absorbed the smell of a generation worth of <br />cigarette smoke. There was a big long <br />mahogany bar and a stone fireplace that got <br />left behind when the building was moved. <br /> <br />Richard and his father Dick did extensive <br />remodeling to make the old building a livable <br />home. They covered the worn floors with <br />carpeting, threw away the paneling and took <br />the interior down to the studs. They kept the <br />old restroom signs out of sentiment, but there <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />Pictured above is Freddie Roth in the white shirt and <br />shorts (?). At far right is boxer Jack Dempsey. The photo <br />below is the original tavern building, now a house on <br />Goose Lake Road. <br />are few signs that the structure once functioned <br />as a tavern. It is now an attractive home on <br />Goose Lake Road. The original site of the tavern <br />has gone through several transformation. For <br />years, Shorty Urban operated his gas station. The <br />building is now on the lot where Vera Auto Sales <br />is located. It is very fitting that the new facility <br />also includes a brand new restaurant called Bella <br />Cibo which is located in the old HCO building. <br />