An El Dorado Hills landmark that has been the subject of community curiosity since The Purple Place Bar and Grill closed in 2022 is beginning to show signs of its next life as renovations continue.
The former home of The Purple Place at 363 Green Valley Road, long recognized for its unmistakable purple exterior, now bears a new look and a new name. Signage has been installed for Lake House, the bar and restaurant concept being developed by Eric Rushing and Thomas Holzmann. The once fully purple building has also been repainted in a combination of dark blue and white, creating a fresh look while signaling a new direction for one of El Dorado Hills’ most familiar gathering places.
The progress marks the latest step in the long-awaited revival of a building that has carried decades of local memories. For many in El Dorado Hills, the site is more than a restaurant space. It was a meeting place, a family dinner spot, a place for live music, a Sunday brunch destination and, for generations of residents, one of the community’s most recognizable landmarks.
Now, after several years of vacancy and speculation, the property is moving toward its next chapter.
Rushing and Holzmann, both residents of El Dorado Hills, are leading the effort to bring the space back to life with a fresh bar and restaurant concept. Rushing brings years of hospitality and nightlife experience to the project, having played a key role in launching and operating some of the Sacramento region’s most recognizable venues, including Goldfield Trading Post, Ace of Spades and The Cabin. He has also been working on Yager Lodge in Historic Folsom, a new venue taking shape in the building that once housed the original Yager’s brewery.
Holzmann, while newer to the restaurant and bar business, brings a local connection to the effort and a shared interest in creating something that fits the El Dorado Hills community. Together, the two have been working with property owner Amy Anders on a concept intended to move the building forward without completely erasing what made the site so recognizable for so many years.
That transformation is now visible from the outside. The building no longer wears the full purple exterior that made The Purple Place instantly recognizable for decades, but the new dark blue and white color scheme gives the property a refreshed identity. The addition of the Lake House signage gives the project a public-facing name for the first time and makes the future of the site more tangible for those who pass by the longtime Green Valley Road property.
The new venue is expected to feature American cuisine and may include live entertainment in a limited capacity, though it is not being planned as a concert venue. The concept is being shaped as a bar and restaurant destination, drawing on the property’s history as a social gathering place while giving it a new identity.
The relaunch comes nearly four years after The Purple Place served its last meal. The restaurant first opened in 1955 and became a staple of the El Dorado Hills community. For decades, it stood out not only for its color but also for its role as a casual, familiar place where locals gathered for food, drinks, music and community connection.
Under the ownership of Denise and Mike Hountalas beginning in 2006, The Purple Place grew into a lively destination known for its family-friendly atmosphere, events, entertainment and connection to generations of residents. Its closure in August 2022 followed a breakdown in lease negotiations between the Hountalas family and Anders, the property owner.
The closing quickly became a public topic across El Dorado Hills. The two sides offered differing views on the failed negotiations, with rent increases, improvement costs and communication challenges all cited as factors. Residents mourned the loss of the longtime business, and the once-busy property sat vacant as many wondered what, if anything, would eventually take its place.
For Anders, finding the right operator for the building took time. After months of interest from various potential tenants, she said last year that Rushing and Holzmann represented the right fit for the property’s next chapter.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to have found the perfect combination of experience, talent and integrity with Eric and Tom,” said Anders, in a previous email to Folsom Times. “There were a lot of operators with interest in the Purple Place location, but finding the perfect fit to do this project right took a little time. I could not be more excited and happy.”
That vision is now beginning to materialize in a way the community can see. The purple building that once served as a visual landmark has been transformed with a new look, but its history has not disappeared from the story. The name Lake House also points toward a fresh brand, one that appears to lean into the surrounding El Dorado Hills and Folsom Lake lifestyle while giving the site distance from simply becoming a remake of The Purple Place.
The transition from Purple Place to Lake House comes as the region continues to see investment in hospitality and entertainment venues. Rushing’s work in Folsom with Yager Lodge has added another layer of local interest, tying two high-profile projects to one operator with a history of building recognizable destinations in the Sacramento area.
For El Dorado Hills, however, the former Purple Place property carries its own weight. Its reopening under any name has been watched closely by residents who drive Green Valley Road, remember meals and music there, or have followed the story since the doors closed in 2022.
The addition of signage gives the project a clearer public identity, but many details are still to come. A full menu, operating hours and opening timeline have not been publicly released. At this time, an opening date for Lake House has yet to be publicly announced.
For now, Lake House stands as a visible sign of progress at one of El Dorado Hills’ most talked-about restaurant properties. It is no longer simply the former Purple Place building sitting vacant along Green Valley Road. It is becoming something new, while carrying forward the history and memories tied to what came before.
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