Fresh from their holiday break, students packed The Houndstooth Monday for a night of beer, friends, smokes and the BCS National Championship game. Every bar patron from the front patio to the pool room was in high spirits as they celebrated The Houndstooth's last night of operation - even Ohio State fans.
Soon, the bar located at the corner of Grace Street and University Boulevard will be demolished. Do not fear, though. The Houndstooth will return in about six months, just in time for the 2008 football season.
General manager Jon Alford said the building is falling apart and needs an upgrade to accommodate the crowds that swarm the bar during football season.
He said the new bar will have a modern feel and a larger patio, but the floor plan will resemble the current building. The signature Alabama memorabilia that lines the walls of The Houndstooth will also return, Alford said.
The 50-year-old building is not without its charms, he said. Alford said he would miss the original building despite its condition.
"The age of the building adds a little bit of character," he said. "It feels like a homely atmosphere."
Alford is not the only person in Tuscaloosa who will miss the building. The entire bar was packed shoulder to shoulder with students drinking cold Bud Lights and smoking Marlboro cigarettes. So many people stopped by for one last drink at the original Houndstooth that by midnight, Miller Lite was the only beer left in the entire bar.
High fives, handshakes and hugs were given out in mass quantities as old friends met again at a place that is unique to the UA experience.
Yoni Kutler, a senior majoring in finance, has been a frequent visitor of The Houndstooth. He said the bar is one of his favorite places to meet friends and have a drink. The closing was bittersweet for students like Kutler, who voiced one major concern.
"I just hope the atmosphere doesn't change," Kutler said.
The atmosphere is what helped Sports Illustrated name The Houndstooth the No. 1 college sports bar in America. The bar, which has been open since July 1988, features more than 30 flat-screen TVs, four pool tables and dartboards to keep patrons entertained.
Alford will post updates beginning in about two months at www.houndstoothsportsbar.com. He will post pictures showing the construction as it progresses and any other news that becomes available.
The countdown to kickoff for the 2008 football season has begun, but students will have to wait a little longer to start the countdown for the re-opening of The Houndstooth.
"As soon as I'm able to get an opening date I will put it up there," he said.
If the Monday night crowd was any indication, that opening date cannot come soon enough.
Some students said farewell to The Houndstooth with a toast or a photo with friends, but the most original farewell may have occurred in the men's bathroom.
An unidentified man walked through the door and saw a line had formed for the bathroom. He walked up to the sink and said, "Sometimes you've got to pop your collar and sometimes you've got to piss in the sink."
The man in the stall next to the sink shrugged and said, "Oh well, they're tearing it down anyway."
What a way to go.
The Houndstooth will be open by the 2008 football season
Patrons can check updates at HoundstoothSportsBar.com
