AUSTIN, Texas — A popular bar on Austin's South Congress Avenue will have to relocate following an arson fire last September.
In September 2022, the Austin Fire Department launched an arson investigation after responding to multiple fires in South Austin, including at Crow Bar, located at 3116 S. Congress Ave.
In addition to the fire at Crow Bar, a nearby fire at a vacant former auto repair shop was also determined to be intentionally set. Fire crews also responded to around 15 grass, trash and dumpster fires in the same area during the same time period.
A suspect, 42-year-old John Adam Henry, was eventually arrested in connection with at least one of the arson incidents. Police said he was the main suspect in the string of arson cases.
Fans of Crow Bar had been awaiting its return, but the bar's owner recently provided an unfortunate update on its fate.
The bar's owner posted on Instagram Saturday that the building has to be demolished due to extensive damage in the walls of the older part of the building, near the patio. However, the owner did say they are "aggressively" looking for the bar's next location and will post updates as soon as they happen.
The owner had previously posted in December that the bar would be "reopening soon" and that it would be "reborn" in early 2023.
Crow Bar opened in 2010.