One clue that the Social Junkie Sports Bar has come to the end of its almost-4-year run at the northwest corner of Washington Ave and Sawyer St.: The end-zone-styled valet parking lot pictured in the above recent photo is empty — all the way to the 25-yard line. Another clue: the “It’s been real . . . we out” goodbye notice posted to the establishment’s Instagram feed over the weekend. A reader tells us the place is shuttered and everything inside has been “thrown away.“
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Longtime Houstonians may remember the multi-level spot at 2412 Washington Ave as a sports bar named Sawyer Park, or before its expansion and be-decking, as the single-story Pig Stand No. 7 of Terms of Endearment sequel fame.
But it’s likely we’ll soon be remembering this spot as something else: The property was purchased in March of last year by Braun Enterprises, the local development firm that’s known for buying, renovating, and re-leasing older retail properties in the Heights, the Washington Ave area, Montrose, and a few other areas in town. A leasing flyer produced this past May and posted to the Braun website advertises the property’s 2-level restaurant layout, the parking available on the 20,000-sq.-ft. lot, and its proximity to other commercial areas in the Washington Corridor — including the confetti-brick warehouse Braun owns around the corner at 1005 Sawyer St.
- Previously on Swamplot: ‘Sports Bar with Class’ Replacing Sports Bar on Washington Ave;Â When Pigs Fly: Sawyer Sportsbar Gets Its Wings;Â The Pig’s New Gig: Sawyer Sportsbar
Photos: Braun Enterprises (2412 Washington Ave); Swamplot inbox (aerial views)
No loss here
I believe the name was previously Sawyer Park., not Heights Every now and then it was a fun place to go just for a pretty late night view of downtown. I never went to this place as their “sports bar with class” pitch never appealed to me. Laurenzo’s is basically a sports bar with class. This place sounded like a club that was attempting to double as a sports bar.
This place actually has a great skyline view from the upstairs bar area.
No. Long time Houstonians remember the place (though now rendered unrecognizable) as The Pig Stand, the late lamented neighborhood diner featured in the “Terms of Endearment” sequel “Morning Star”. Still miss breakfast at The Pig Stand.
Struggling to care
@Crash Davis:
Thanks for catching our error. It’s corrected now.
that hurts
.
we lost the pig stand for a bar that didn’t even make it 4yrs. gentrification is a $@^#
Lol… Longtime Houstonians will remember it as Sawyer Park?!?!? It was only Sawyer Park for a couple of forgettable years. I loved (and miss) the charm of the Pig Stand… Really sad when they closed down and that disproportionate deck was added on top. They used to say they invented the “drive thru”. I’m pretty sure they didn’t, but they at least were one of, if not the first, drive thrus Houston.
I always liked all the different little ceramic pigs that were in the windows at the Pig Stand. And the movie was The Evening Star. It was pretty terrible, but is worth a watch to see Houston in the 90s.
Can we extricate the DB’s and just put the pig stand back where it belongs?
That’s not new; that parking lot is almost always empty. As far as I could tell it was only open Friday nights and Saturday afternoon. Hopefully something a little less clubby will move in.
I’d like to see something more artsy come into the fold. Maybe a restaurant that doubles as an art gallery? Just a thought since Houston is trying to create an Arts District off Sawyer.
Artsy? It’s Washington Ave. Come on over to Montrose.
Trying to create an arts district? How ironic. Those warehouses back there used to house artists and studios and galleries, until the Wash Ave thing came along and made the land too valuable. Just like Montrose before it.
Social Junkie… Not a big fan of that place. It used to be pretty cool… for about the first half a year of its existence. Then it became a boring eatery with an over-designed interiors and a hipster-like atmosphere. They still have good chicken, though. But most people would probably agree with me that it’s not that great.
https://restaurantguru.com/Social-Junkie-Houston
Maybe it’s good riddance, maybe they’ll survive. There’s plenty more where that restaurant came from
https://restaurantguru.com
Anyway, businesses come and go. I’m more worried about the location itself and preventing urban decay.