The Oldest Gay Bar in Houston

JR's Bar & Grill

808 Pacific Street

JR's on Facebook                          Some 360° photos

above left, a pre-1999 photo, as Heaven is shown in the background
below, mid-80s

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but first, in 2011 the Houston Press ran an article about
Charles Armstrong and the state of the bars
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***

In 1986 Charles Armstrong bought from Dallas club owner Frank Caven the gay bars JR's,
the Montrose Mining Company and Heaven.
JRs was already in business since April 22, 1982, but let's go back for some pre-bar history.

The building was a train depot, a grocery story in the 1950s and then until about 1980,
The Emporium, a speciality antique store...

I accidentally have part of 808 Pacific as it was in 1974 in a photo of another bar,
Pacific Street Station (not to be confused with the club Pacific Street which was open
down the street at 710 Pacific from 1993 to 2002). PSS was most recently the
Montrose Mining company. Looking past the club below is part of the building that became JR's.

and then it turned gay...

but....there's a whole other connected story to the building next door, at 804 Pacific,
complicated enough that it needs its own page

The Bar Next To JR's

804 Pacific

804 Pacific: Mother Lode, Cutter's, Hot Rod and Santa Fe Trading Company

and, back to JR's...the branch in Dallas was already open and doing well, since 10/30/80...

so now it was Houston's turn

and now, 9/19/86, Charles Armstrong is described as "owner"...
he was given as "general manager" in a Heaven item from 9/85

1987

Mardi Gras Finale Festival
March 7/8, 1987

1988

above, photo courtesy of Doug Barnes, circa 1988 or 1989

2009

2011

2012

Above, from Doug Barnes, 2012

2015

October 2015, new patio

2016

Above, ads from 9/2/16 to 9/10/16, the Mine is gone from the Pacific Street ad

2022

by the way, the next oldest gay bar in Houston is The Ripcord, 12/10/82