Inspired by the Lake McDonald Lodge, Eddie’s Cafe and Mercantile will have a new look when it fully opens this spring.

Owner Brian Kelly has been overseeing a remodel of the Apgar landmark in Glacier National Park from late last year through the winter.

The Mercantile opened this month, while the restaurant is set to open Memorial Day weekend.

The building now features a total of six rental units above the restaurant and gift shop, with a mix of one and two-bedroom rooms for rent.

Work on the rental units will continue into the summer with the hope to have them available by August. He said Glacier’s harsh winter set the project back about a month.

He said when he first took on the project he consulted with the Park Service’s landscape architect on ideas for the building. He wanted something that would fit with the Swiss-style architecture of Glacier’s lodges.

Eddie’s, before the remodel, didn’t exactly fit in.

As crews begin to finish work on the facade, it looks more and more like a classic Glacier Park Lodge, though the superstructure is steel, not logs.

“The vision is starting to come together,” Kelly said.

Eddie’s has been in business in Apgar for more than 60 years.

It was founded by Eddie Brewster, who bought it from Bill Mackin in 1946. Thus the name Eddie’s has stuck ever since.