The Red Bar: Updates & Info

[Teresa]

Red Bar rebuild in the works, co-owner hopes to reopen Memorial Day

Hundreds of people gathered Tuesday for a groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction of the Red Bar in Grayton Beach. The building burned to the ground in February following an electrical fire.

By Nathan Cobb | GateHouse Media Florida
Posted at 5:08 PM
Oct 8, 2019

newsherald.com

GRAYTON BEACH — Nearly eight months after burning to the ground from an electrical fire, a Walton County staple will be reborn from its ashes.

On Tuesday, hundreds of people gathered on the barren site where the Red Bar once stood for a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of its reconstruction.

“It’s very symbolic, obviously, to put the shovel in the ground, but it also puts a date on a new beginning, and that’s really exciting,” said Oliver Petit, co-owner of the establishment.

Construction on the new Red Bar is set to begin Wednesday and run until about next Memorial Day. Local officials gatherhe ceremony’s many guests included Walton Commission Chair Tony Anderson, who shared that the business held a special place in his heart.

“I first came to this building when I was 6 years old,” he said. “I’ve been coming every year since. ... This was devastating for me and a lot of other people when it burned down.”

As a Red Bar regular, Anderson added that the business wasn’t just a South Walton attraction, but an icon of the entire county.

“It’s just life-changing, and the Petit family has made it that way,” he said.

According to Walton Planning Director Mac Carpenter, the “historic day” stemmed from a combined effort of Red Bar staff, county officials and many concerned residents.

He labeled the ceremony as the “rebirth of Grayton Beach.

“The news of the fire traveled all over the world, and it just shows what kind of reach this community has,” Carpenter said.

In the months to come, the new building will be molded after the original blueprints, Petit said.

Following the ceremonial dirt shoveling, he spread ashes from the renowned hangout spot that he plans to bring back to life.

“When it burned, it felt like a family member had passed away,” Petit said. “It was a way to put closure on this event. ... From those ashes, we can expect a rebirth like the phoenix.”

Red Bar rebuild in the works, co-owner hopes to reopen Memorial Day

 

[Teresa]

The Red Bar
Facebook post

Dear friends ,
We officially broke ground, this morning.
Surrounded by friends and family the shovel went into the ground!!!

What a feeling,
8 months ago we were devastated and bewildered.
Today was joy and enlightenment.

The community, local government, musicians, especially Duke Bardwell who played the very first notes of music at The RedBar in 95
Our Beloved Grayton neighbors,
The property owners,
The wonderful RedBar team

There with us to share this special moment .

Our General contractor ,Deron Strickman owner of Luke and Blues construction, is going to perform this great and difficult task .

We are targeting a Memorial weekend opening .

Cheers to the future!

The Red Bar

 

[Teresa]

A BOHEME Design architects

We attended the Red Bar groundbreaking ceremony yesterday and are eager to see this project through to the end. We look forward to the first Sunday brunch when we can cheers friends with a Bloody Mary in the new building. #redbar #rebuildredbar

 

[Teresa]

Beachcomber

Red Bar Rising: A Talk with Oli Petit
Published on October 24, 2019



By Bruce Collier

Last February 13, around dawn, a fire consumed the Red Bar on Hotz Avenue in Grayton Beach. No one was injured, but what had been a local legend—bar, restaurant, music venue, curiosity shop, art gallery, and welcoming hangout for both locals and tourists—vanished. I didn’t feel inclined to go out and view the empty site, until just recently. The empty time has now passed.

After eight months of cleaning up, planning, and lots of this and that, ground was broken October 8 on what will be the Red Bar’s second iteration. I missed going in person to the event, but stopped by a few days later, mid-morning, to watch construction getting underway. There were trucks and machinery, ground had been cleared and leveled, and the area was cordoned off, but no workers were on site as yet.

Three tourists on bikes rolled up near where I was standing. One of them knew the Red Bar, and was showing the spot to others, who’d never seen it. He asked me if I knew the projected date of reopening. I told him I’d heard it would be Memorial Day, 2020 (got that from Facebook). After they left, two more people showed up, sending a drone aloft to hover over the site. Then a guy with several cameras hanging from him walked around the site, taking photos. There definitely was an air of expectation and anticipation.

The following day, I spoke on the phone with Red Bar co-owner and seasoned restaurant opener Oli Petit. He confirmed the projected opening date.

“There’s been just an amazing display of affection,” said Oli. “People have lots of memories…and now we are in opportunity mode.”

Oli lives near enough to the Grayton Beach neighborhood that he can visit the site frequently. The work is being done by Luke & Blue’s of Santa Rosa Beach. Oli speaks highly of the company’s owner, Deron Strickman, who is in charge of construction of the building. They will construct the outer building, then the Petits (Oli and brother Philippe) will take over on the inside.

Oli said that the “new” Red Bar will be “exact, to the inch,” like the old—dining room, bandstand, bar, windows, heights, doors all the same—except there will be some changes and improvements to the kitchen and bathrooms.

In the kitchen, the old structure—first built in 1939, then added on to over the decades—had different levels and some awkward spaces for cooking purposes. That’s all being cleaned up, expanded and streamlined, with fewer walls and closets.

As for the bathrooms, there’s even more good news. The men’s room will now have two stalls, and the ladies room will have four stalls. The ladies room will be nearer the deck. “We’re pushing farther south,” said Oli.

Regular customers of the Red Bar are no doubt wondering about the signature eclectic interior decor, which simply had to be seen to be appreciated or described. There were album covers, movie, sports and concert posters, photographs of the famous and the completely anonymous, musical instruments, lamps and toys, and assorted oddities. Procurement was the province of Oli and his father—“We were like American Pickers, that’s us.” Oli will be in charge this time around as well.

At the time of the fire, they had a 900-square-foot warehouse stocked with all manner of items, posters, memorabilia, etc. Over the years, they had made “continuous improvements” to the interior, replacing things that were old, worn out, damaged or occasionally “disappeared.”

Oli will access the warehouse, and continue to collect, buy and curate. Though he and his dad did the collecting together, Oli alone puts it up.

“No one touches it but me,” he said. “If they do, they’ll hear about it.”

Members of the Red Bar fan base have been donating and contributing, too. “They want to be part of it,” said Oli. “There will be so many cool things. It’s going to make people smile.”

There are no changes planned for the menu, which will offer their classic items—steaks, pork, fish, chicken. They may add some new things, but are not reinventing the culinary wheel. The apple dumpling is expected to return, as well.

Of course, there will be live music, as always, with the bandstand where it was before. “[Customers] can absolutely expect to see what was taken…we have the same desire to continue what we started, but with even more motivation,” said Oli.

The Red Bar will be located at the same address, 70 Hotz Avenue in Grayton Beach. For updates on progress, go to theredbar.com and link to the live Red Bar web cam.

Red Bar Rising: A Talk with Oli Petit

 

[Kurt]

Oli hung banners on the fence around the site and someone stole several - if you see any call the Sheriff - if you have them and want to escape prosecution then contact me or Oli.

 

[Kurt]

See more photos - Red Bar Rebuild Construction Photos January 2020

 

[Sweet Pot Pie]

Thanks Kurt. While fighting winter despair this helps immensely!

 

[Kurt]

See more photos, including interiors >

 

[Teresa]

Saturday Feb 15 photos

 

[Kurt]

Rebuilding The Red Bar: A Progress Report

Now, a year out from the fire, we are getting a photographic progress report, thanks to SoWal.com’s social media. A post from February 15, shows several photos of the brand-new building, construction coming right along. “We got some paint slapped on today! The Red Bar rebuild in Grayton Beach is going strong,” the post reads.

Posted by SoWal on Saturday, February 15, 2020
On the one-year mark since the fire, The Red Bar shared a side by side comparison to show just how far they’ve come. “What a difference a year makes. We can’t thank you enough for your support, especially Luke and Blue constructions. We miss you,” their post says.

What a difference a year makes. We can't thank you enough for your support, especially Luke and Blue constructions. We miss you

Posted by The Red Bar on Thursday, February 13, 2020
It is truly astonishing to see the progress and to know that very soon we can all make the pilgrimage back down 30A to sidle up to our favorite beach bar once again. We look forward to seeing all of our old friends and maybe making some new ones. See y’all this summer.