Historic Barstow cafe torn down March 26, 2007
Posted by Ron in Businesses, Restaurants.trackback
Debra Hodkin, who runs the Barstow Route 66 Mother Road Museum in Barstow, Calif., gave the Route 66 yahoogroup some bad news yesterday:
Greystone Cafe at 31317 E. Main in Barstow, CA, is being torn down. This is a section of Route 66 where the road runs parallel with the freeway near the Marine Base. Unique in that the structures were built with river rock. Those from the sixties, seventies remember the place as a bar. The cabins appear gone, and the main structure will soon be.
Here’s a good overall photo of the restaurant from Ray Smith. 
And I found this intriguing history about the Glenstone:
When roads were still dirt even before Route 66 was named National Trails Highway, the Greystone Cafe was built in 1918.
World War I was over in Europe and expansion was on the rise in the United States. Motor vehicles were common, while horses still provided much of the transportation in the West.
In 1918, the Greystone was a way station catering to the growing numbers of Mormons settling in the lower valleys. The standing cobblestone buildings had a store, overnight rooms, and garage.
Now the Greystone has returned to the sand.
(Photos by Debra Hodkin.)
Boy the ol’ Greystone sure was looking rough there. Last time I really gave it a good look was probably in the ’90s while visiting, still was a bit of a dive bar at that time. Growing up in the 70s/80s I had some neighbors that frequented it. Sad to hear in a way but the desert reclaims it all eventually.
Greetings folks,
My family and I do abandoned sites photography and explorations. It happens that in May of 2007 (perhaps merely a month before the building was demolished) we paid a visit to the site. I’ve attached a link to one of the sites these photos and others are posted.
JJ (jjmaccrimmon -at- gmail -dot- com)
My mom and dad, Rosemary & Mike Cavanaugh owned the Greystone Cafe back in the sixties. I was born in Barstow, and being the youngest of my siblings, only lived there for a few years, but have heard numerous stories. I will share these photos and web sites with my siblings and my dad. They will enjoy the pictures.