Street Stories Feature: The Silver Grill

See the Silver Grill and dive deep in to Fort Collins History on the 36th Annual Historic Homes Tour: Street Stories

218 Walnut St

1890, Commercial Victorian Vernacular

Who in Fort Collins hasn’t heard the story of the hungry sign painter who, in exchange for a pork chop lunch, renamed “Uneeda Lunch” to Silver Grill, and painted the name on the front window? That must have made for a busy afternoon, but it is also interesting to note that the building which currently houses the Silver Grill has had more businesses in its history than any other building in Fort Collins. There are a couple of reasons for that: one is that the Silver Grill is the oldest restaurant in Northern Colorado, and the other is that it’s comprised of five conjoined buildings, the oldest of which dates back to 1890. The Silver Grill now runs from 210 to 218 Walnut St., and the buildings have housed a bicycle sales & repair shop, a paint and wallpaper shop, clothes cleaners, coal & feed sales, a shoemaker, a shoe repair shop, cigar makers, a furrier, a jeweler, an electrical services business, a glass shop, and city Fire Department offices. There have also been plumbing & heating services, real estate agents, music sales, an appliance repair shop, typewriter sales & repair, TV and electronics sales, a bagel shop, blacksmith shops, barber shops, a piano tuner, a harness shop, sewing machine sales, a hand tool shop, financial services, a beer hall, several bars, multiple other cafés & coffee shops, and a bakery.

The Silver Grill can trace its history back to 1912 with Uneeda Lunch at 212 Walnut St., but the current establishment dates to 1933, when Leonidas (Flossie) Widger leased the building at 218 Walnut St. for his restaurant. Flossie sold it to his son and a partner in 1949, who ran it until John Arnolfo purchased it with a partner in 1979. There is one possibly apocryphal story—printed in a book on urban tunnels in Colorado—which states that prisoners in the city jail (3 buildings east) were chained together and marched through a tunnel to take their daily meals at Silver Grill. Allegedly, only one prisoner had ever escaped, but there is no record of whether or not he left a tip. While there are indications of a possible connecting tunnel, there is no remaining evidence that it actually connects. Interestingly, present owner John Arnolfo once spoke with an employee of a previous incarnation of the Silver Grill, who claimed to have served prisoners as recently as the late 1940s. John is the person responsible for the expansion and remodeling of the Silver Grill, extending it to the southwest over a period of twenty years. The delightful Silver Grill staff have been serving wonderful breakfasts, lunches, and brunches for years, but the Grill is most famous for its cinnamon rolls (although personally, I am partial to the pecan rolls).

-Bill Whitley