The 1892 Bar & Grille on state Route 30 opened last Friday. It is run by the third generation of a family who has had businesses on the property for over 50 years.

Tyler Ellithorpe, born and raised in Lake Clear, shoots photography in New York and around the world, doing work for fashion moguls like Ralph Lauren.

“I live out of a suitcase,” he said.

But in the warmer months, he’s here in the Adirondacks and can’t keep away.

The Lake Clear building that now houses The 1892 Bar & Grille has been in the Ellithorpe family since the 1960s. (Enterprise photo — Kevin Shea)

“I love it here,” Tyler said. “The Adirondacks are part of my heart and soul.”

He’s now heading up the new eatery and watering hole in Lake Clear.

The property was owned by his grandparents in the 1960s, who ran it as the Big Dip. In 1973, they closed down. In 2005, his father Benjy Ellithorpe demolished the building due to safety issues.

In 2014, Tyler bought it from his father and his siblings. He ran it for a while as the Cone Cabin, but he wanted to keep the building open longer throughout the year and to provide more options for locals to eat.

“It was an injustice to have it sit vacant nine months out of the year,” Tyler said.

The Lake Clear building that now houses The 1892 Bar & Grille was an ice cream stand called the Cone Cabin from 2014 to 2018. (Enterprise photo — Kevin Shea)

The family remains a big part of the new business. His stepmother Nicole Ellithorpe is a partner in the business and also head cook, his cousin Molly Woodruff is front of house manager, his little sister Anna Ellithorpe is a waitress, and his little brother Adam Ellithorpe will soon work there. Tyler prefers the business management.

“This is my third business,” he said. “I’ve always enjoyed the business aspect.”

But the paperwork almost kept it from getting it off the ground. He said he battled with the state Adirondack Park agency for close to a year before he had all the paperwork to get the restaurant running.

On Friday, his work culminated with the grand opening. Although he said he didn’t count how many people came through his doors, he believes around 100 were there. Tyler describes his food as classic American — steaks, fries and potatoes — but he might eventually add meals that you can’t get elsewhere.

The decor is meant to look rustic and typical of a brewpub in an industrial town in 1892. The bar, which is now inside the building, was where the porch was when it was the Cone Cabin. The wood for the walls is store-bought, but the wood that makes up the shelving and the bar table is wood his father cut more than 30 years ago using a chainsaw.

“He had it, and it’s now found a forever home,” Tyler said.

The kitchen is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and the bar until 10 p.m. on Sundays. The restaurant and bar will be closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The kitchen is open from noon until 9 p.m. from Wednesday until Saturday. The bar is open from noon to midnight every day except Wednesday, when it closes at 10 p.m.

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(Correction: Ellithorpe family members’ roles in the business were incorrect in an earlier version of this article.)