77-Year-Old House Park Bar-B-Que Damaged in Fire

Longtime Clarksville barbecue restaurant House Park Bar-B-Que is currently closed after catching on fire early Tuesday morning on 900 West 12th Street.

The fire started just after midnight on Tuesday, according to a report by KXAN, likely in House’s pit room. No one was hurt, but extensive smoke and fire damage have left the restaurant inoperable. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Co-owner Matt Sullivan hopes to work with his landlord to rebuild the restaurant, as he told KXAN, though he is unsure of the timeline for reopening. To aid with those efforts, he organized a GoFundMe with a goal of $100,000. Several restaurants, including Franklin Barbecue, have expressed their support for House Park. The crowdfunding campaign has already raised nearly $12,000.

Sullivan bought the restaurant from his father, Joe Sullivan, whose five brothers are all firefighters at the Austin Fire Department. Joe bought the restaurant in 1981, just a few months before the restaurant was damaged in floods during Memorial Day of that year.

House Park opened in 1943, and is reportedly the oldest continuously operating barbecue restaurant in Austin. It’s known for brisket and chicken, which are cooked on the original brick barbecue pits.

• House Park Bar-B-Que [Official]