By Margaret Foster | Preservation Magazine (online version only) | May 20, 2009

A year ago today, a fire broke out in a popular Route 66 diner, the Rock Cafe, in Stroud, Okla.

The blaze, its cause still undetermined, destroyed all but the stone walls of the 1936 building. Most regulars assumed that the fire spelled the end for the Rock Cafe. But owner Dawn Welch, who has spent the past year rebuilding the diner, says it was just the beginning.

"I could have walked away and kept half the insurance money, but I never even considered it, basically because I'm crazy," Welch says. "I didn't [rebuild] because I had to, I did it because I loved it; it provided a great life for me and my kids—not in terms of money, but atmosphere. I loved seeing the people who came through there."

Although the Rock Cafe's reconstruction is only 90 percent complete, Welch will open its doors on Friday for beignets, tea, and tours. Welch says the soft opening on the anniversary of the fire is important: "We want to make sure everyone feels real comfortable with where we're at [in rebuilding], and let them start signing the walls."

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Preservation Magazine: Rt. 66 Cafe story