Home > The M.O. > Archives > 2007 > September > 11 > Entry
There’s a tear in my beer: The Ginger Man being forced out
Beer lovers, and those who are sad at the recent developments in downtown Austin, will soon have more tears to shed into their adult beverages. The Ginger Man manager Kristen Jacobson has confirmed that the beloved Austin pub, which has been serving happy customers since April 1994, will lose its lease, held by Austin Trust Co., in April 2009.
Jacobson said the Ginger Man plans to relocate to another location downtown and hopes that the watering hole can find a spot with a backyard, such as the one in existence at the current pub.
In place of the bar with one of the best beer selections this side of the Mississippi will be — you guessed it, condos! Jacobson told me that Gables Residential has big plans for 304 W. Fourth St. Additionally, Gables also now owns the tract where the former Fox & Hound sits, and Austin Trust Co. has said that Gables has also signed a lease for the parking lot at the corner of Lavaca and Fourth streets, giving it control of the entire block.
Calls to Gables were not returned.
Image by Mark Matson for American-Statesman
Permalink | Comments (26) | Categories: Food
Comments
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By Bonita Sarita
September 11, 2007 10:04 PM | Link to this
GREAT!!! More Condos!!!!!!!
By veaustintx
September 11, 2007 10:44 PM | Link to this
Ginger Man closing/moving - that SUCKS! Downtown is losing it’s orginality. More condos - who is buying all these units? Well, wherever the GM goes I will follow.
By Lowell
September 11, 2007 11:05 PM | Link to this
Don’t take away the pubs! Especially for another set of condos that look like all the other condos. People live in pubs, too. The best people do.
By B
September 12, 2007 11:30 AM | Link to this
Everyone moves to Austin because it’s supposed to be so original — but no one takes the time to realize that with such an influx of cookie cutter people comes cookie cutter complexes, restaurants and pubs. Austin is losing everything that makes it great.
As a native, my heart hurts when I read stuff like this.
By thatgirl
September 12, 2007 6:04 PM | Link to this
Are you kidding me? What are they doing to my town? Aren’t there enough condos going up downtown as it is? Do we really need more, especially when it means closing down long-standing Austin establishments like the Ginger Man? At some point, the number of people who are willing and able to shell out a huge chunk of change on these condos is going to dwindle. Then what will we have? A downtown full of empty buildings and none of what makes Austin unique.
As a longtime-but not quite native-Austinite, I agree with B… it makes my heart hurt, too.
By Me
September 12, 2007 6:24 PM | Link to this
Ginger Man is already a chain bar from Houston you know.
By Donna
September 12, 2007 6:29 PM | Link to this
So…we build more places to live downtown without regard to the Austin flavor that makes it unique. Soon…Austin will be just another city. I love the fact many are coming to Austin but not at the expense of taking away more and more places that have become great hang-outs
By Mike B
September 12, 2007 7:44 PM | Link to this
FYI - For everyone crying about losing the “originality” of Austin, The Gingerman is an out of town chain.
By Todd
September 12, 2007 9:19 PM | Link to this
What the hell does it matter if it’s a “chain” from Houston? It had a good vibe, a great product and never felt or acted like a real chain type establishment. Freebird’s is from the dreaded College Station yet I’d rather eat there than Chipotle. How about you smart guys?
By Rob M
September 12, 2007 9:24 PM | Link to this
The Gingerman may be a chain, but that building is 100% Austin Warehouse. What will become of the District if there’s no more warehouses to speak of?
By terryo
September 12, 2007 9:45 PM | Link to this
Know what’s worse than building condos? Building a parking lot. And that’s exactly what’s going in at the Gingerman location. Condos will be built - eventually - but not for a long, long while.
Greedy *******.
By Debbie T
September 12, 2007 10:48 PM | Link to this
I first fell in love with the Gingerman bars when I was living in Dallas in a Gables apartment. Bitter Irony? I like new people in Austin. I was one once. I hope everyone brings their creative spirit that they love in and about this City. Perhaps new could even mean better.
By Austin R. Emembry
September 13, 2007 12:23 AM | Link to this
The ironic thing is that these condo developments are starting to overgrow the very atmosphere that allowed them to sprout in the first place
By Russell Clayton
September 13, 2007 1:54 AM | Link to this
The Gingerman is not the typical “chain” (like Chuy’s). There just happens to be individually successful locations in Houston, #2 in Dallas, Austin was the third installment, and yes, there’s now a Fort Worth location.
Each has their own uniqueness based on its surroundings, and in this case - it has a ridiculously awesome backyard and very Austin-ee interior. It is a very cool Austin addition and does not deserve to be shoved out for more freaking condos — the core will be more than on its way to be full enough by then!
Perhaps the glut of condos by 2008’s end will make the title company reconsider.
By Brian Beadle
September 13, 2007 9:14 AM | Link to this
I think the worst thing about this story is that the Gables has purchased the property. If there is a real estate company that has perfected the art of cheap stucco apartments with faux balconies, it’s the Gables. I think that their construction track record will be more of a disgrace to downtown Austin’s architectural richness.
By chris
September 13, 2007 9:38 AM | Link to this
Little Boxes, in the downtown Little Boxes made of ticky tacky Little Boxes, in the downtown and they all look just the same
There’s a green one and a pink one and a blue one and a yellow one And they’re all made out of ticky tacky and they all look just the same.
By A Gaucho
September 13, 2007 9:43 AM | Link to this
Actually, Todd, Freebirds is from Santa Barbara. As in, California.
Hate to break it to you fine folks, but not everything bad happening to Austin is being done by Californians. Sometimes, it’s being done by Texans.
By Evan Walter
September 13, 2007 10:37 AM | Link to this
Big sob. This place has such character. I’ve got lots of great memories there.
By bob
September 13, 2007 3:05 PM | Link to this
welcome to dallas/houston.
By Dan
September 13, 2007 4:53 PM | Link to this
Quit crying, there are plenty of other places to buy over-priced beer. Buh-bye, Johnny-come-lately. Hopefully the same will happen to Fado, “Home of the Phony Accent”.
By Blake
September 13, 2007 5:51 PM | Link to this
I hope they don’t tear down everything that makes living downtown pleasurable. Many good times have been had at the Gingerman, I will hate to be the bad messenger to my friends about this one.
By JJ
September 14, 2007 1:09 PM | Link to this
People get over it Austin is not a small city anymore! For a city of 700,000+, we need to have a denser, taller downtown. I have lived in Austin all my life and I like whats happening downtown. What do you want more suburban sprawl or do you want a nice dense downtown? The Ginger Man isnt closing forever, its moving so its not like we are loosing anything.
By Joseph
September 19, 2007 5:52 AM | Link to this
I hope the new Gingerman will continue to allow people to bring their dogs. We need more places like the Gingerman in Austin. As for the condos…. I can think of other places in downtown that would be better served by the Gables’ overpriced, tiny, cheaply made condos.
By Jen
September 19, 2007 1:48 PM | Link to this
This is exactly what happened to the Waterloo Brewing Co., except no condos were ever built on that property! I believe that building is vacant at the moment. Gingerman should move to the old Waterloo. Who cares if it’s a chain? It’s a great hangout.
Sure wish Waterloo would’ve stayed in business. : ( Good times, great beer.
By jack
September 20, 2007 11:59 AM | Link to this
the new location will be cool. all you haters. there is one owner, and there are 4 gingermans. what a chain!
By T-man
September 21, 2007 12:14 PM | Link to this
Pretty soon we can just call Austin L.A. Every year more and more original Austin places that define the city get replaced by condos or other big business ventures(Liberty Lunch, Gingerman, B-side, Las Manitas, the list goes on and on). I cant wait until the condo bust happens and all the people responsible for the irresponsible growth in Austin are wiped out and forced to move somewhere else. If any of you are from Austin and play a part in this you should be ashamed of yourselves.