‘A Labor of Love’; Owners Complete Restoration of Historic Bigfork Inn

Gracing the entrance of downtown Bigfork, the Bigfork Inn has served as a staple of the lake town’s character and a place of community gathering since the early 1900s. For the past nearly five years however, the doors of the Bavarian-style building have remained shut as a transformation took place inside – a “labor of love” that began with a decision that was “just plain stupid,” structural engineer Michael Brooks said with a grin.

On the phone with a realtor friend shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic made its way through Montana, Brooks’ ears perked up when he learned the historic inn was for sale. Brooks lives in Woods Bay with his wife and interior designer Kelly Couzens Brooks.

“I’ve always wondered about that place,” Brooks recalls saying to the realtor. “Tell me about it.”

With a warning that other interested parties were looking at purchasing the inn to tear it down and use the downtown front for condominiums, the couple purchased the Bigfork Inn in 2021, intent on preserving its historical character and charm.

In October of that year, the restaurant’s chef walked out on a Saturday night. Unable to find another chef heading into the slow winter months, the couple opted to temporarily shutter the business so that Couzens Brooks could remove the dining room carpet and replace the chairs. What began as a light remodeling of the interior quickly snowballed into a complete restoration of the century-old building.

“More and more we got into it and the history and feeding off each other’s ideas,” Brooks said.

Using their collective experience, the couple had the entire building rewired and installed new plumbing, HVAC, lighting, and a sound system. They reframed the interior and added new insulation, preserving the building’s exposed log beams. They removed the suspended acoustic ceiling tiles that hung over the dining area, exposing and staining the original wood ceiling. They replaced doors and windows to match the inn’s historic character, using the original brass handles.

“With that, it’s been a complete restoration,” Couzens Brooks said. “We realized looking at things, especially the kitchen, how tired it was. We even tried to donate the kitchen equipment, and it was so bad that we had to throw it away.”

A new 2,000-square-foot addition is shared between bar seating, a new entertainment space and an expanded, state-of-the-art kitchen.

An 1890s western walnut bar back purchased from an antique dealer in Pennsylvania sits behind a new live-edge bar top. Above hang soft-white lanterns with designs that mirror lanterns hanging in the lobby at Lake McDonald Lodge in Glacier National Park made by the Kanai Tribe.

Smack center of the bar sits an old safe that the couple found in the building’s basement, establishing the bar’s new name – the Safe Bar.

In the dining area, Couzens Brooks had the women’s bathroom moved from the middle of the dining area to the hallway next to the men’s. Custom made tables and chairs stand atop fresh carpet and a newly leveled floor. Newspaper clippings about the lake town, historic paintings, old Bigfork postcards and an antique rifle used in the area can be found throughout the inn, paying homage to the lake town’s history.

“It’s just been a big learning experience, taking a lot longer than expected,” Couzens Brooks said. “We wanted to keep the community and everyone in mind when we restored this.”

“Period correct but tastefully modern,” Brooks added.

Upstairs, a private fine dining area has taken over the space where the old inn’s rooms once hosted guests, featuring cut glass decorations from a company Brooks’ grandfather owned. A private suite with a balcony looking out on Bigfork Harbor will be available to rent for bridal parties and other events.

Outside, a new deck provides porch seating and an adjacent turf-covered area. A new bright red clock with Bigfork Inn engraved on it stands near the entrance. An ADA-accessible ramp outside the front door, several ADA-accessible bathrooms and a new elevator boost the building’s accessibility rating.

“I like to say the path is the reward,” Brooks said. “It’s been quite a path. Because once we open it, and we put so much passion into it, it’s not ours anymore.”

With the restoration complete, the couple hosted a couple catered events on May 14 and May 17, including a sold-out open house that benefitted the community’s grassroots efforts in the preservation of River View Place overlooking the Swan River.

After the events, the inn will remain closed while the couple searches for a restaurant operator. Brooks mentioned the effort of previous caretakers to make the inn a place of community gathering.

“We’re looking for an operator that really cares, that has plenty of experience, that integrate with the community, they’re going to do everything they can to have this building serve the community, and those people are unique,” Brooks said.

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