The historic Round House building at the Golden Gate Bridge will soon re-open as a cafe, closer to its original use when it opened 77 years ago.

The iconic art-deco circular structure at the southeast foot of the span started as a diner when it was completed May 27, 1938 one year after the bridge opened.

After decades in that role it eventually became office space for the bridge district and then a gift store, and ultimately served as a launching point for audio tours and a place to take photos after interior renovations were made as part of the span’s 75th anniversary in 2012. But the latter uses didn’t draw enough visitors and it closed.

Now it will revert to food service. There will be a soft opening in the coming weeks, with a more formal opening in early July.

“We will have clam chowder, hot dogs and apple pie,” said David Shaw, spokesman for the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, as he ticked off some of the items that would appear on what he termed an “iconic, American menu.”

But that does not mean greasy burgers, salt-laden fries and fattening milkshakes. Rather it’s food that is “local, sustainable and high quality,” Shaw said.

San Rafael-based Christine’s Upper Crust Pies will sell slices at the new Round House Café.

“I think it’s really cool to have the pie at the Golden Gate Bridge,” said San Anselmo resident Christine Milne, who began her business in the summer of 1987. “I have many different pies, but they keep talking about ‘apple pie, apple pie,’ so that’s what they will have.”

Fork in The Road will provide pasture-raised beef hot dogs, Boudin’s chowder filled bread bowls and Peerless Coffee. The new Round House will provide barista-type service, with a standing bar, but there will not be chairs and tables because of space limitations, Shaw noted.

The building provides sweeping views of the bridge and the bay, providing some protection to visitors from the fog that can envelop the area.

The Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy has an agreement with the Golden Gate Bridge to operate the building and span officials are looking forward to the new incarnation of the Round House.

“On a cold day at the Golden Gate Bridge, there (will be) nothing like a warm cup of coffee or a bowl of clam chowder,” said Priya Clemens, bridge spokeswoman. “The Round House has been renovated with all the modern conveniences and still retains the charm of its historic roots as a diner.”

Local civil engineer Alfred Finnila — who died in 2000 — designed the Round House as a diner. It was built for $10,000.

According to a Facebook page on Finnila, the “Bridge Round House became the all-time busiest San Francisco Bay Area restaurant … In 2012, renovation work of (the) Round House was completed and it was revealed as a suave art deco treat, a diner, as Alfred Finnila had designed it.”

The last use of the Round House saw audio tours start there. They lasted from 45- to 60-minutes and explored the engineering achievements involved with building the span. Visitors inside the Round House also could have their photos taken against a green screen that provided a backdrop of the bridge, allowing a shot of the span even when fog caused it to vanish from sight. But after a little more than a year, that use closed in November 2013 and the building has sat mostly idle since.

At least initially, the Round House Café will be open from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily and could see up to 1,000 people a day. Hours can be adjusted as needed.

“It’s pretty exciting to see this all come together,” said Milne, who was to make her first pie delivery Friday. “We are ready.”