Austin bar owners opening San Antonio spot near Pearl
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The owners of several popular Austin bars are combining on a San Antonio project near Pearl.
What's happening: A midcentury modern building at 519 Josephine St., which previously housed Worthington Laundry & Cleaners, will become a bar, owner Nathan Hill tells Axios.
Context: Hill is part of Open Road Hospitality, a new group that includes Austin businessmen Jeremy Murray and Travis Norman.
- Hill owns The White Horse, Stay Gold, Frazier's Long and Low, High Noon and soon-to-open DayDreamer, all in East or Southeast Austin.
- Murray owns Kitty Cohen's, also in East Austin. He also co-owns High Noon and DayDreamer with Hill.
- Norman, who is at the helm of KKDW Construction, built out High Noon and Frazier's Long and Low, and is working on DayDreamer.
Details: According to architectural planning details, the renovation of the 5,000-square-foot building will cost an estimated $500,000.
- Hill expects to spend the duration of 2023 completing the project.
Zoom out: Hill and Murray's Austin bars offer a range of aesthetics and atmospheres, from a honky tonk to a Palm Springs-inspired pool bar.
Zoom in: It's unclear what the new space will look like after the renovation, but Hill says there's plenty of nostalgia tied to it.
- He grew up in San Antonio while his dad was stationed at Fort Sam Houston.
- The bar's working name, Jackie's Desert Rose, is an ode to his late grandmother.
- "I feel both honored and elated to return to San Antonio to build out such an amazing space that I think will add even more value to the incredible growth in the area while bringing a fresh energy and perspective."
What they're saying: Government Hill business owners Houston Carpenter and Ricky Ortiz are excited for Hill's bar to join the neighborhood
- Carpenter's Restaurant Claudine and upcoming sushi restaurant Nineteen Hyaku, will be neighbors of the new concept. He thinks Government Hill is the next walkable entertainment district.
- "I think it's going to be the most exciting area of the city. The more the merrier. Let's bring everyone else in here," Carpenter says.
- "Once the Broadway corridor opens back up and street parking improves, I think it'll bring new life to an already booming neighborhood," Ortiz, owner of Bésame and El Camino, tells Axios.