From the Ashes
Barbecue joint with Austin's oldest pit returns after 2020 fire
The only thing that's not new is the pit.
It may have new walls, kitchen, and staff, but an old staple of Austin is making a comeback.
House Park Bar-B-Que in Downtown Austin reopened on Monday after a devastating fire burned down the long-standing restaurant in 2020.
“This is my baby. I’m happy to be back," Owner Matt Sullivan said. “It's just been a beautiful reincarnation of what we once had.”
The restaurant has been serving Austinites barbeque since 1943, using the oldest fire pit still left in town. Sullivan said the business was owned by the Noel family in the 1950s before it was sold to his parents in the 1970s and 80s. Sullivan then bought it in 2015.
“[Sullivan's father] wanted to save a little piece of Austin, and when I had the opportunity, I wanted to save a piece of Austin myself," Sullivan said. "In a city that’s constantly changing, it was very important for me to keep this place around."
However, in December 2020, a grease fire set the building ablaze.
“We had to rebuild everything from the ground up,” Sullivan said. “We had to replace the plumbing, we had to redo the electrical. The only thing we got to keep was our magnificent [barbeque] pit.”
Sullivan said it took two years just to get permits to rebuild and it was hard not to lose hope.
“After 18 months, it has you wondering if we’re making the wrong choice," Sullivan said. "I'm watching skyscrapers get built faster than I can renovate 1,000 square feet."
However, it was support from customers that kept Sullivan’s passion burning.
“They had the flood, the fire. I mean, basically any kind of natural disaster," Tom Picazo said. "They've been able to plow right through it and keep going."
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