Root Cellar keeps it rustic

An alleyway flanked by the red brick walls of the Oddfellows Building ­— once home to a hardware store, bakery and a fraternal order of local tradesmen in the early 1900s — leads to a stone stairwell.

Beyond the stairwell, multi-layered, wind-tattered posters promoting local bands and themed dance nights adorn the door to a cellar now veiling an underground bar.

From its origins as a cellar and coal room for the Oddfellows guild to its current use as the lounge of the restaurant FARMBloomington run by local chef Daniel Orr, the Root Cellar Lounge stays true to its heritage.

FARM General Manager Harry Shafer said the underground watering hole was strictly a bourbon bar when it opened in late 2008 but soon after expanded its spirits list to include the wine, beer and liquor offerings it provides today.

Root Cellar Manager Josh Johnson said the main draw of the bar is its commitment to historic preservation and a vintage attitude that no other bar in Bloomington has achieved.

A quick look at the cellar’s main bar, fashioned out of a glass display case from the building’s original hardware store, adds to the authentic feel of the business.

Original craggy stone walls and limestone floors adorn the small passageways and rooms with empty liquor bottles and kitschy decorations from past eras.

A dark wooden bench lines the back wall of one chamber, while a sofa and coffee table provide seating in the next.

Faceless nude figures depicted eating grapes among a field of speckled hens wrap the walls of the cellar’s main room — a mural by local artist Gretchen Sigmund titled “Orgy in A Cornfield.”

Vintage license plates are scattered above seating areas, secured into the original wooden ceiling beams.

Small stacked towers of vintage beer cans marked by brands like Old Milwaukee, Schlitz and Budweiser, to name a few, quietly sparkle in the back corner.

The cans, Johnson said, come from Orr’s personal collection of rare or quirky finds dating as far back as Orr’s father’s generation.

FARM, Orr’s farmhouse-inspired eatery, sits atop the cellar as its sunny, daytime counterpart.

A single wooden stairwell leading into the restaurant’s bright, cheery dining room creaks at 3 p.m. on a Sunday as cooks in white jackets race up and down to dispose of empty boxes or grab a full crate of fresh veggies.

Johnson said Orr wanted to create something akin to what a prohibition-style speakeasy in Brown County would look and feel like, staying true to his FARM vision in the process.

Cocktails crafted by the Root Cellar’s bartenders include freshly squeezed fruit juice and old-fashioned shaking or stirring. Johnson said the place definitely makes its customers feel like they are part of an old-world community.

Shafer said the bar easily caters to anyone from college students to locals and even celebrities such as Joan Baez, who stopped in after her performance at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater in February 2010.

Johnson said the bar, which comfortably fits close to 100 people at capacity, is a unique hangout for people of all interests and tastes.

“It’s really representing this piece of Bloomington culture as a whole,” he said.
“That’s what makes it work.”