Most Gilbert residents know the little white cottage with green trim, tucked back on Gilbert Road among modern buildings and restaurants, as Bergies Coffee Roast House. But the home has a rich history that began long before the cafe served its first latte in 2009.
The structure, known as the Clare House, was built in 1918.
Bergies closed in late 2022 and the land was sold to a Utah-based developer. When plans were announced to debut a two-story restaurant and nightclub, it became clear that the home would be demolished.
As one of the few buildings in Gilbert that's more than 100 years old, many saw a need to preserve it. Efforts to raise money to move the home to a location less than a mile away have been ongoing throughout the spring and summer. But those hopes may come to a halt after the latest deadline of Aug. 1.
That’s the most recent date that HD South, an organization that runs the Gilbert Historical Museum and the town's art gallery, has been given by the property’s owner, Wags Capital.
“We’re continuing to raise funds. Our goal is $135,000,” says Denise Lopez, the president and CEO of HD South.
To date, the museum and cultural center has raised over $24,500 through online donations, fundraising nights with downtown Gilbert restaurants and the raffle of stay at a mountain cabin. As Lopez stares down the prospect of raising more than $110,00 in two weeks, she’s “hopeful.”
“We’ll continue to push it and we’ll continue to do that fundraising until we absolutely can’t do it anymore,” she says.
Lopez initially approached Wags Capital about saving and relocating the house. The developer agreed and offered to chip in.
"We've committed to them all of the funds we'd normally spend on demolition to contribute to their efforts, and know that they are aggressively fundraising as well,” Kevin Monsey, Wags Capitals’ Director of Development and Construction said in a statement. “We've moved the deadline a number of times to provide them with additional time to fundraise, while we also work through our own design-related adjustments per our normal process."
While Lopez and Casey Kendel, downtown Gilbert’s Redevelopment Commission chair and a partner in the efforts to save the home, shared their gratitude for the previous extensions, they concede there’s no guarantee they’ll receive another temporary stay from demolition.
“We still have a huge uphill battle,” Kendel says of their work to fundraise. “I don’t know if (the deadline) will be pushed out again.”
After learning on Friday that their previous deadline of mid-July would be extended, the group and others in the broader Arizona preservation community are appealing to people in Gilbert and beyond to donate their dollars or construction and restoration services to save the house.
“It’s important to protect our history,” Kendel says.
Forrest and Forna Clare moved from Clarkdale to Gilbert in the spring of 1918, building the approximately 900 square-foot home on what was then Main Street and today called Gilbert Road. The Clares raised their five children in the house. Next door, Forrest built a sheet metal shop, which he ran with his sons until the mid-1970s and was later torn down.
The Clare House is one of the oldest buildings still standing in the town, Lopez says.
“We saw it as an opportunity to save a little piece of what old Gilbert used to look like over 100 years ago,” she adds.
The Clare House is not a registered historic place, but preservation advocates say there’s much worth saving and learning from the home. One of those advocates is Julia Taggart, the president of the Sunnyslope Historical Society and Museum. She has seen the wonder first-hand when children tour a 1945-built home the Sunnyslope society restored. Erected by Walter Leon Lovinggood, the society bought and moved that home to its current location at 737 E. Hatcher Road.
“People love that house,” says Taggart. “The first question was 'where’s the TV, where’s the tablet?'”
She hopes a similar fate will be made possible for the Clare House.
If the Gilbert group can raise the additional $110,000 it needs, the Clare house will be moved to HD South where it will be renovated and restored. The museum will use it as an educational exhibit, showing residents what life was like in turn-of-the-century Arizona, before the town was incorporated.
“It was a different time for sure and what people had access to and what they really, really needed is a lot different from what we feel we really, really need in these times,” Lopez says. “We hope to highlight the simplicity of what people could get along with and without.”
The Clares were also important members of the Gilbert community, helping found the First United Methodist Church. Forrest started the first community band and advocated for rail service through the town.
“They were known as Papa and Mama Clare,” Lopez says, adding that the entire town was invited to their 70th wedding anniversary.
After the Clares died in the 1980s, the home entered a new chapter, transitioning to businesses, Lopez says, including a veterinary office, a scrapbooking store and, from 2009 until 2022, Bergies.
“It’s been a variety of things but it’s always been a staple in the Heritage District,” Lopez says.
Now, the home sits idle, surrounded by a chain-link fence.
Over the past decade, the area has transformed from a quiet corridor to a bustling dining and nightlife hub.
The announcement sparked controversy among some residents and led to the creation of a petition to stop Bottled Blonde from setting up shop. To date, it’s been signed by more than 4,500 people.
However, city officials have noted that the land was acquired through a private sale and the proposed use for a bar and restaurant is allowed under the town’s zoning.
Kendel says he and the Redevelopment Commission reviewed submissions from Wags Capital several times before the building design was approved. He referred to the commission as akin to a homeowners association board, which weighs in on building aesthetics to maintain the character of a neighborhood. He commended the developer for its work to adjust designs to meet Heritage District requirements and address community concerns around noise and visibility into the building.
The Gilbert Bottled Blonde does not yet have an opening date, but it will join the chain's Valley presence in Scottsdale along with Texas locations in Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston, and forthcoming locations in Las Vegas and Nashville, Tennessee.
“It’s a great example of what a farmhouse would have looked like in the early 1900s in Gilbert,” Lopez says. “The simple fact is once it’s gone, it’s gone. We’ll never get it back.”
The extended deadline has allowed for more restaurant fundraising partnerships, including one at O.H.S.O.'s Brewery + Distillery's Gilbert location. On July 25, 20% of the proceeds from the day will be donated to the cause.
The fundraising group is also hoping to catch the eye of individuals or businesses who can make substantial donations.
“We really need some corporate dollars to come in, some heavy hitters,” Kendel says.
Should the group be unable to raise the dollars before Wags Capital is ready to move forward with construction, Lopez says they will collect items that are historically and culturally relevant, from the Bergies’ sign outside to elements of the home itself, such as original doors and windows.
Taggart encourages anyone, not just Gilbert residents, to donate.
“It’s worth it to donate because it’s not just going to help the residents of Gilbert," she says, "but it’s going to help the residents and visitors of Arizona."
The structure, known as the Clare House, was built in 1918.
Bergies closed in late 2022 and the land was sold to a Utah-based developer. When plans were announced to debut a two-story restaurant and nightclub, it became clear that the home would be demolished.
As one of the few buildings in Gilbert that's more than 100 years old, many saw a need to preserve it. Efforts to raise money to move the home to a location less than a mile away have been ongoing throughout the spring and summer. But those hopes may come to a halt after the latest deadline of Aug. 1.
That’s the most recent date that HD South, an organization that runs the Gilbert Historical Museum and the town's art gallery, has been given by the property’s owner, Wags Capital.
“We’re continuing to raise funds. Our goal is $135,000,” says Denise Lopez, the president and CEO of HD South.
To date, the museum and cultural center has raised over $24,500 through online donations, fundraising nights with downtown Gilbert restaurants and the raffle of stay at a mountain cabin. As Lopez stares down the prospect of raising more than $110,00 in two weeks, she’s “hopeful.”
“We’ll continue to push it and we’ll continue to do that fundraising until we absolutely can’t do it anymore,” she says.
HD South President and CEO Denise Lopez approached Wags Capital about saving the historic home that formerly housed Bergies Coffee.
Sara Crocker
"We've committed to them all of the funds we'd normally spend on demolition to contribute to their efforts, and know that they are aggressively fundraising as well,” Kevin Monsey, Wags Capitals’ Director of Development and Construction said in a statement. “We've moved the deadline a number of times to provide them with additional time to fundraise, while we also work through our own design-related adjustments per our normal process."
While Lopez and Casey Kendel, downtown Gilbert’s Redevelopment Commission chair and a partner in the efforts to save the home, shared their gratitude for the previous extensions, they concede there’s no guarantee they’ll receive another temporary stay from demolition.
“We still have a huge uphill battle,” Kendel says of their work to fundraise. “I don’t know if (the deadline) will be pushed out again.”
After learning on Friday that their previous deadline of mid-July would be extended, the group and others in the broader Arizona preservation community are appealing to people in Gilbert and beyond to donate their dollars or construction and restoration services to save the house.
“It’s important to protect our history,” Kendel says.
The Clares built their home and sheet metal shop in Gilbert after relocating from Clarkdale, Arizona. It is one of a handful of buildings more than 100 years old that are still standing in Gilbert.
HD South
What is the Clare House?
Though it was most recently a community coffee shop, much of the Clare House's history is as a family home.Forrest and Forna Clare moved from Clarkdale to Gilbert in the spring of 1918, building the approximately 900 square-foot home on what was then Main Street and today called Gilbert Road. The Clares raised their five children in the house. Next door, Forrest built a sheet metal shop, which he ran with his sons until the mid-1970s and was later torn down.
The Clare House is one of the oldest buildings still standing in the town, Lopez says.
“We saw it as an opportunity to save a little piece of what old Gilbert used to look like over 100 years ago,” she adds.
The Clare House is not a registered historic place, but preservation advocates say there’s much worth saving and learning from the home. One of those advocates is Julia Taggart, the president of the Sunnyslope Historical Society and Museum. She has seen the wonder first-hand when children tour a 1945-built home the Sunnyslope society restored. Erected by Walter Leon Lovinggood, the society bought and moved that home to its current location at 737 E. Hatcher Road.
“People love that house,” says Taggart. “The first question was 'where’s the TV, where’s the tablet?'”
She hopes a similar fate will be made possible for the Clare House.
If the Gilbert group can raise the additional $110,000 it needs, the Clare house will be moved to HD South where it will be renovated and restored. The museum will use it as an educational exhibit, showing residents what life was like in turn-of-the-century Arizona, before the town was incorporated.
“It was a different time for sure and what people had access to and what they really, really needed is a lot different from what we feel we really, really need in these times,” Lopez says. “We hope to highlight the simplicity of what people could get along with and without.”
The Clares were also important members of the Gilbert community, helping found the First United Methodist Church. Forrest started the first community band and advocated for rail service through the town.
“They were known as Papa and Mama Clare,” Lopez says, adding that the entire town was invited to their 70th wedding anniversary.
After the Clares died in the 1980s, the home entered a new chapter, transitioning to businesses, Lopez says, including a veterinary office, a scrapbooking store and, from 2009 until 2022, Bergies.
“It’s been a variety of things but it’s always been a staple in the Heritage District,” Lopez says.
Now, the home sits idle, surrounded by a chain-link fence.
The Clare House, formerly home to Bergies Coffee Roast House, may face demolition if advocates don't meet their fundraising goals.
Sara Crocker
What’s happening with the land?
In December 2022, the property was sold to developer Wags Capital, who in June 2023 announced its partnership with Scottsdale's Evening Entertainment Group to build Bottled Blonde, a two-story restaurant, sports bar and party destination on the lot in the heart of Gilbert's downtown Heritage District.Over the past decade, the area has transformed from a quiet corridor to a bustling dining and nightlife hub.
The announcement sparked controversy among some residents and led to the creation of a petition to stop Bottled Blonde from setting up shop. To date, it’s been signed by more than 4,500 people.
However, city officials have noted that the land was acquired through a private sale and the proposed use for a bar and restaurant is allowed under the town’s zoning.
Kendel says he and the Redevelopment Commission reviewed submissions from Wags Capital several times before the building design was approved. He referred to the commission as akin to a homeowners association board, which weighs in on building aesthetics to maintain the character of a neighborhood. He commended the developer for its work to adjust designs to meet Heritage District requirements and address community concerns around noise and visibility into the building.
The Gilbert Bottled Blonde does not yet have an opening date, but it will join the chain's Valley presence in Scottsdale along with Texas locations in Dallas, Fort Worth and Houston, and forthcoming locations in Las Vegas and Nashville, Tennessee.
‘Once it’s gone, it’s gone’
With Bottled Blonde moving forward, advocates don't want to miss their opportunity to move the Clare House out of the way of the wrecking ball. Now, it’s a full-court press to fundraise, Kendel and Lopez say.“It’s a great example of what a farmhouse would have looked like in the early 1900s in Gilbert,” Lopez says. “The simple fact is once it’s gone, it’s gone. We’ll never get it back.”
The extended deadline has allowed for more restaurant fundraising partnerships, including one at O.H.S.O.'s Brewery + Distillery's Gilbert location. On July 25, 20% of the proceeds from the day will be donated to the cause.
The fundraising group is also hoping to catch the eye of individuals or businesses who can make substantial donations.
“We really need some corporate dollars to come in, some heavy hitters,” Kendel says.
The developer has pledged to contribute approximately $10,000, Lopez says, which it would otherwise spend tearing the building down.
Should the group be unable to raise the dollars before Wags Capital is ready to move forward with construction, Lopez says they will collect items that are historically and culturally relevant, from the Bergies’ sign outside to elements of the home itself, such as original doors and windows.
Taggart encourages anyone, not just Gilbert residents, to donate.
“It’s worth it to donate because it’s not just going to help the residents of Gilbert," she says, "but it’s going to help the residents and visitors of Arizona."
