Through fire and renovation, Headquarters stands the test of time

In 1954, hit singles “Mr. Sandman” by The Chordettes and “Hey There” by Rosemary Clooney helped gyrate the hips in Maricopa’s hippest establishment, Headquarters.

Two years later, residents watched as the popular nightclub and bar went up in flames. “It was a popular place and I remember it burning down,” said Mary Lou Smith, who first moved to Maricopa in 1952.

However, the flames didn’t prove to be the end of the establishment. Headquarters was rebuilt and today serves as a bridge between Maricopa’s past and future.

After it burned down, Edward Farrell rebuilt the bar with some key additions, a meeting area and an open air-restaurant, Smith said.

Eventually the restaurant was enclosed, becoming a popular destination for the people of town. “Most people in Maricopa would eat at home back then, but the restaurant could get busy in the mornings and at lunch time,” Smith said.

She added that one of the more popular areas of the establishment was the meeting room. “We would hold the Rotary meeting there and various other events.”

The meeting room, sandwiched between the bar and the restaurant, was eventually done away with to expand the bar.

Alma Farrell, who moved to Maricopa in 1958 with her parents, said the restaurant at one time had a countertop bar where customers could sit and have a milkshake or just enjoy some good food.

“Back then all of the restaurants had the countertop bars; they were very popular,” Farrell said.

Alma said when she was growing up, she did not go to Headquarters often because mostly adults went there, but later the manager allowed her and her girlfriends to have slumber parties in the restaurant.

“They even let us cook hamburgers,” she said.

Alma eventually married the owner’s son, Eddie, and she worked in the establishment off and on for several years.

However, tragedy struck Headquarters again in 1972 when the owner and founder died in a car accident.

“We didn’t know what to do at the time, so we asked my mother to come back to town and run the restaurant,” Alma said.

Alma’s mother, Dora Loeffelholz, accepted, but not without making a few changes to the menu first. When she took control of the establishment, the menu consisted of typical American fare such as hamburgers and fries. Loeffelholz changed that by bringing a full line of items with a Hispanic flair.

“She started all the recipes,” Alma said.

While the menu changed in the ’70s, the restaurant underwent another minor renovation in the ’90s when the countertop bar was removed and the tables received a makeover.

Other than those minor changes, Headquarters remains today as it has for decades, offering Maricopans a place to gather and dine.

Photo by Michael K. Rich