Slocum House: A beloved landmark finds new life in the village

Diana and Lorrin Burdick at the Slocum House ribbon cutting ceremony

Thirty-nine years ago, Diana and Lorrin Burdick tied the knot in front of friends and family at one of Sacramento County’s most treasured restaurants, Slocum House. In early November, the couple returned to the Fair Oaks Village landmark for a ribbon-cutting marking the long-closed restaurant’s revival. A mariachi band, prancing horses, balloons and speeches from multiple elected officials made for a festive event despite cloudy skies.

“It’s so exciting to see it make a comeback,” Diana Burdick said as she posed for a picture in one of the restaurant’s newly refurbished dining rooms. “Slocum House drew people from all over the region. It was truly special.”

Its owners say the venerable destination restaurant will soon be declared special once more. Closed since 2011, the moribund California Avenue establishment was purchased in 2018 by Gary and Weiwei Juels, who own the adjacent Fair Oaks Brew Pub. Their restoration project has been meticulous, reflecting a commitment to the character of the historic, California bungalow-style building and its celebrated past.

“We’ve been working and working and grinding,” Gary Juels told the 200 or so people who watched the ribbon cutting before being invited into the restaurant for a sneak peek. “We’ve never been more invested in a community … than we are in Fair Oaks. We know this place is special to you. Thank you from our hearts.”

There is no firm opening date, but Juels said the restaurant would begin accepting reservations at the end of November, while hiring continues and work wraps up on some final elements of the project. No menu details were shared this week, but an earlier story in the American River Messenger said plans called for a farm-to-table approach that emphasizes locally sourced ingredients.

Listed in the National Registry of Historic Places, Slocum House was built in the mid-1920s for Charles Slocum, an early settler and influential local businessman. According to a nomination form submitted to the national registry, Slocum arrived in Fair Oaks from Iowa in 1896 with his wife, Sara, and five children. Through the years, he built several homes in town and established a lumber business, the Slocum and Gore General Merchandise Store, a bank and a hardware store, the registry form said.

After Slocum’s death in 1925, his widow lived in the home for another three decades before selling it to new owners who converted it into a boarding house, according to an account prepared for the Fair Oaks Historical Society by Jim Pearce. The home later housed an interior decorating business before it was purchased in 1976 by investors, Pearce said. They added two wings for the bar and kitchen and opened it as Slocum House restaurant.

With his renovation, Juels has left the existing hilltop structure intact but made extensive interior improvements, including a kitchen overhaul, a new bar, cozy booths, and other features. Out back, a spacious new patio is flanked by a large stage, suggesting music or other events are likely. In front, a new sign and terraced entry greet visitors.

The Slocum House renovation spotlights an important piece of the community's past while adding another dining destination to the village's evolving business district. And for couples like the Burdicks, it offers a chance to commemorate the birthdays, weddings, and other special celebrations gone by.

“We’re hoping it will be open in time for our 39^th anniversary in December,” Diana Burdick said. “If not, there’s always next year.”