Iconic Richmond college bar to reopen after more than 26 years
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Owners buy historic Richmond bar building and plan fall reopening.
- Owners plan to keep much of the college bar intact.
- Renovations will upgrade plumbing, HVAC, electric, bathrooms before launch.
A Richmond relic that was once hallowed ground for Eastern Kentucky University students is returning this fall under new ownership after sitting vacant for more than a quarter-century.
The Family Dog operated along Water Street in downtown Richmond from 1967-2000 and previous to that was Speck’s going all the way back to the 1940s. But for the past 26 years the bar had collected dust and sat unused, other than a brief resumption during EKU’s homecoming celebrations in 2022.
Then in January the three-story building at the corner of Water and 1st streets went up for sale with Lexington-based The Real Estate Company, leading to longtime locals and bar patrons Jack VanWinkle and Robbie Robertson snatching it up in mid-February.
“The Family Dog is just as iconic as Two Keys, the Merrick Inn, Halls On The River and the Boone Tavern. It’s a part of our history, so we want to make sure we do things right,” said VanWinkle. “We just want to bring back the nostalgia so other people can experience what we once did there.”
When Will The Family Dog reopen?
Although a lot of work remains to get the bar ready to reopen — including renovating the bathrooms and making upgrades to the plumbing, heating, electric and other cosmetics — Robertson and VanWinkle are both eying an early August christening for The Dog. This will give their team enough time to get acclimated prior to students returning to campus for fall classes and events like football tailgating and homecoming.
“Our goal is to welcome people in with some soft openings so we can get our staff oriented, because whenever homecoming hits it’s going to be off the chain,” anticipates VanWinkle.
Aside from those projects, the duo said that much of The Family Dog’s classic aesthetic will remain, only with the dust wiped away and a fresh coat of paint. That goes for “The Dog” script on the structure’s exterior rear wall as well, which will soon stick out even more with a new coat of white paint.
What Will The Family Dog Have To Do?
The Family Dog plans to offer entertainment options for folks throughout as well. This includes country bands, cover acts, DJs and more on its middle level that will cater to the college crowd and blues, jazz and more elevated sounds in the upper room, tentatively slated to be called the Pedigree Club.
“It will be a more upscale experience that still ties into the dog theme, but where beer maybe costs a dollar more and you’re listening to live blues or jazz instead of a country band or DJ,” explains Robertson.
While those are the plans for the levels above, VanWinkle said that blueprints for the ground floor — which used to be home to the restaurant Pacos — are still in limbo, with the team’s first priority being to get the bar running well before expanding their focus to anywhere else.
“We never expected the building to go up for sale,” says Robertson, who recalled getting a ring from VanWinkle earlier this year with the news about it hitting the market. “He asked me to meet him and the realtor there, which led to an offer that was quickly accepted to our surprise despite there being nine other offers on it in the first 24 hours of it coming available.”