Posted
by Jill Ensley
May 11, 2005 at 9:38 p.m.
R.I.P. Jayhawker
Ever since The Jayhawker, in one of my favorite hotels no less, closed it's doors last January, my friend Kim and I have been waiting for this day, the day we get to sit in one of our favorite bars and sip a raspberry lambic. But I think this grand re-opening is best summed up with something Kim said when we walked into the Eldridge tonight at 7:30 pm....."....where are they going to get the 2 million to change it back?!"I suppose this refurbishing is "good" in the broad, I-didn't-really-care-about-that-damn-bar-anyway sense. Ohhhh, it's good to "refurbish" things, to "renovate". And yes, the Eldridge and it's dark little bar needed some renovation, but this....this is ridiculous.I can only describe the new decor of the Jayhawker as the bastard child of a diner, an airport lounge, and a sports bar; the decor throughout the lobby, an incestuous match of Ikea and Nebraska Furniture Mart. The employees, instead of matching the lofty goal of "four star" with ties and vests, are wearing polo shirts. That's right, polo shirts. We already have an Applebee's thank you, a couple in fact. Gone are the dark recesses and old hotel feel, gone entirely...which is something I was not prepared for.Back in January, I was elated hearing that someone who seemed to care was renovating the hotel/bar/restaurant. Now I feel cheated. Duped. Doped. The decor is mismatched, there's valet parking, the restaurant is named after some dude's football jersey number, it's full of yuppie pricks, and there was a private party on the advertised opening day. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. For all of you who think we shouldn't be complaining, how'd you like it if I renovated the Chili's on 23rd to look like an opium den, or the turned the new Hooter's into an art gallery. In essense, screw you.Maybe this wouldn't be so bad if it were a built-for-use structure, or a bread box design (like the space Pachamama's is going into soon), but it's the Eldridge and I'm sorry...I feel there was a certain responsibilty there, a duty, to keep the feeling of that place alive. Some of my best childhood memories involve wonderful buffet breakfasts in an older incarnation of the restaurant, teenage feelings of adulthood as I sat in the lobby near the piano or gained entrance to the rooftop. As an adult, I was only recently introduced to the bar, but it doesn't lessen the sting of something promising thrown away. I realize the yuppie pricks have money, but don't talk about becoming a "commitment to the community" when all it appears to be is a money-making venture, no more, no less.Did I mention there's no raspberry lambic?
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toreador (Michael Austin) says…
I have no memories or knowledge of the Eldridge as it was. I have not seen it how it is, but this story is all too common. You can whine all you want about it. Out with the old in with the new. We don't care much about history as much as making money now. Why do they have to do it? Don't they know that old is not necessarily bad? They will make money, and most likely create new memories in someone. But the powers that be have no sense of the past. Something American pays for time and time again.
pissykitty (Melissa Lynch) says…
the jayhawker was the place we would take people for their 21st birthdays. many a long night of schmoozing and drinking began there. its where i found the love of my life, horsefeathers. sigh. i am sad to hear of its demise. and whats the deal with the polo shirts? i thought it was supposed to be an upscale hotel? there is evil afoot on mass ave. evil, i tell you!
UKept (anonymous) says…
The Jayhawker was the closest thing to a pub that Lawrence had. Dim lighting, comfortable furniture, the dressed up staff--it was a place you could go and relax and not feel pressured to drink and get out, provided you could afford the $8 drinks in the first place.
Sad to hear it's gone the way of Mulligans.
However, toreador's right--business will follow it's patrons, and when the college population, the one's with the most disposable income and the will to use it dictate much of the bar scene, they don't come for the local history. They're happier with the name/brand they recognize. Local businesses see this, and rush to accomodate.
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
And it shows in the whole town. I remember when I first started going to Lawrence. It was almost all local flavor and local eating places. There were the fastfood chains, but that was about it. Most of the eating places were all local. Now it has changed. Look at downtown. Qdoba, Chipotle, Starbucks, Cold Stone. It is starting to look like everywhere else. It actually makes me sad walking downtown late at night to see it. But, it is familiarity for people. They like what is comfortable or familiar. They tend to not take chances on what they don't know. It is really a sad state of affairs. So give me a bar stool at the pig to drink away my sorrows.... before a chain replaces it.
liz (Liz Weslander) says…
OK you told me not to read it, but really, wouldn't this be boring if everyone just jumped on the boo-hoo bandwagon?
First of all, if I'm not mistaken Hooters is going into the space that used to be Quantrill's flea market - where Barry had a kickass collection of vinyl and Jerry had the best costume jewelery around. My mom sold vintage clothes there. I miss it. Boo-hoo, poor me, poor Lawrence.
I would love to see an art gallery go in that space instead of Hooters. So in essence, screw you.
I agree with everyone about the Jayhawker. The rasberry lambic was divine and my girlfriends who managed and tended bar kicked-ass. However, they have moved on, and perhaps we should too. This is not the first Lawrence "institution" to change hands (and really the Jayhawker has not been around that long, Paradise's closing was far more tragic in my opinion). We'll live.
A final observation, only one half of the Jayhawker had great ambience. Everyone seems to forget that the cowboy room was a horrible, misguided, money making scheme as well.
wbabbit (Will Babbit) says…
Was the cowboy room the restaurant? Never went there, only drank at the Jayhawker on Scotch Night. Wonderful ambiance, though not surprised, nothing that way lasts in downtown too long. Though Paradise punched it's own ticket when it stopped serving breakfast. I don't know what they were thinking...I still miss the cowboy eggs...The flea market was replaced long ago by the Bleu Jacket, then by the Meat market (sigh...no more fried twinkies), and now hooters. The flea market's been dead a long long time...
liza (anonymous) says…
The cowboy room was the little side-room to the right of the bar, toward 7th Street. It was formerly an independant storefront (most recently the Paragraph Gallery), but the Jayhawker took over the space.
7th & Mass, huge windows on two sides, arguably the best location for gin drinking and street gazing in town, but the space was horrible. Think of the comfortable Jayhawker, then picture its opposite: hard floors, unpadded furniture, and not a sound-dampening object to be found. The quiet conversations that the Jayhawker so perfectly accomodated were impossible in the sterile cowboy room. There were saddles mounted on barstools along one wall that inspired the odd faux-naughty gyration but never served a customer who just wanted to sit. It was incredibly poorly concieved; the Jayhawker would be brimming with people but often there'd still be no one in the cowboy room. People would walk in, take a look, then turn around.
Carmenilla (anonymous) says…
A rainy day indeed for the passing of my favorite bar...
Yes, out with the old and in with the new. Sigh. I couldn't bring myself to go to the "Dridge last night but as we were driving by a plaintive wail rose up in me because it DOES look like Country Kitchen in there. And if all the dark corners are gone than where did all the memories go? I just worry that if we accept this bastardization of all things as the "norm" do we sell whatever soul this town has left? I know, I know. Its about money and I ain't gots any.
I miss the lambic too and the tall funny glasses. All my girls that worked there agree. Its the end of an era.
And don't even get me started about Paradise! Don't even get me started!!!
murderama (Rob Gillaspie) says…
Another thing that isn't being adressed, really, is the fac tthat the new owners have done everything they can to "banish" the ghosts form the building... Haven't these peopel ever watched a fucking horror movie in their lives? I can't wait for a pissed-off phantom to turn that place into ectoplasm, ZUUL style.
MrsAntichrist (anonymous) says…
I hate the renovation. I hate everything about it.
Carmenilla (anonymous) says…
And bands had a heck of a time sounding remotely human in the Cowboy Room too. That was an ill-conceived notion, wasn't it?
But I loved the saddle stools! And my naughty gyration was never fake. Those stools really brought out something in me that I never knew existed, my inner cowgirl.Yee-hah! It was like the bull at the Beaumont Club. Er, except not mechanized...
mitzibel (Misty Nuckolls) says…
Let me get this straight. . . .There's a Hooter's going in downtown??? How did I miss this? And where are angst-ridden teenage arsonists when you need them?
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
Downtown will soon be like any other place. It will soon look just like Zona Rosa, which was designed to look like the downtown of a small town. They forget that the charming, calming effect that a small downtown has is because of it's quaintness and history. It loses it all when it is a big chain shopping area.
Carmenilla (anonymous) says…
Well, at least I know where I'll be working! God, I love those orange nylon short shorts....Who wants wings!!!!
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
I like the wings, most of the time. But I really hate the outfits. They can make a woman look damn horrible. Skirts is where it is at..
chrisgladfelter (anonymous) says…
I heard that the Hooters possibility is close to nill because the owner of the building doesn't want the establishment there.
It would be...interesting...to see a Hooters so close to Pachamamas.
Carmenilla (anonymous) says…
Just in case you didn't know, I was joking, Mike. And yes, those "uniforms" are a crime against fashion and nature. Especially because they make them wear those hideous orangey industrial strength pantyhose with the friggin' shorts. My precious Lawrence memories are eroding by the second. Hooters in Quantrills? I never coulda dreamed it in my worst nightmare.
lazz (anonymous) says…
So, y'all got the name-calling and stereotyping thing down, that's really cool ...
murderama (Rob Gillaspie) says…
Who'se name calling? Who's stereotyping? I can't believe those pig-fucking donkey cocks are ignorant enough to waste cash on valet parking-- the parking lot is five fucking steps away from the front door! Typical white-bread laziness... I guess I shouldn't be surprised, what with the new report on how obesity ranks highest amongst the upper-crust of our society. Fat fucking milk-faced pig bastards. How's that for name calling and stereotyping?
mitzibel (Misty Nuckolls) says…
We missed you, Rob.
leslie (Leslie vonHolten) says…
I just want to defend the bitching. The new Eldridge sucks, and you don't have to take it "because that's the way it is," bow to capitalism and all that shit. Many of us remember the late '80s when the city commission tried to build a shopping mall at the east side of Mass. between 6th & 7th. That's right--where Free State, Liberty Hall, Prima Tazza, etc are. But there were people, primarily Pat Kehde of the Raven Bookstore, who bitched and refused to accept such bullshit in the name of "progress" and "gentrification." Think what this town would be missing if they had simply accepted a shopping mall!
Yes, the old Eldridge was in the toilet. That doesn't mean you have to open your arms to the new one.
Carmenilla (anonymous) says…
Amen, sister....
wbabbit (Will Babbit) says…
Where is Pachamama's moving into? There old location was crap, though the building was pretty... and I heard that Hooters was moving into where Dos Hombres used to be, am I wrong?
Todd (anonymous) says…
One day I'll see a post that reads...
"I'm tired of this crap so I'm going to open my own business downtown who's with me? I'm putting my money where my mouth is and going to make a go of saving this town from itself. I might go down in flames but at least I would have tried."
That'll be a great day.
liz (Liz Weslander) says…
Todd you and I agree on something! Granted, it's hard to make a go of a small business when you're competing with corporations who can pay inflated rent prices, but people have done it. I was skeptical for awhile, but Vermont Street has done something decent with the Paradise space. Although it's not downtown, the folks at the Gaslight have put their money where their mouth is. The Replay has done well enough to create Jackpot. Hell, even jerky Dave at Milton's is going strong. Sunflower is keeping the Lawrence history alive.
What Pat Khede did with downtown mall is much different than the armchair bitching that I'm complaining about. She also fought the Borders (along with me and everybody else who now shops there, don't deny it) and has remained steadfast in keeping her independent bookstore open when all the others closed. She doesn't just sit around and bitch about it, she goes to the people who can make a difference and sets an example with her business. She deserves an award.
chrisgladfelter (anonymous) says…
wbabbit:
You're right about the Dos Hombres location. As for the new Pachamamas, it's going into the building on the SE corner of 8th and New Hampshire, across the street from those fancy new lofts.
Todd:
Right on, Willona. But the outrageous rents that downtown Lawrence imposes on its tennants keep a lot of people at bay and chase others to different locations.
I walk up and down Mass St about every day and see at least one empty window on every block. So, which is better for downtown: vacant stores with nothing but paper taped to their windows, or national chains who are willing to attract people and keep downtown alive? Many folks would go with the second option---but then we have the possible mall scenario that Leslie mentioned. The solution is to lower the damn rents so that mom-'n'-pop stores can afford to keep the chains out and the unique Lawrence flavor in. For the life of me, I can't figure out why this hasn't happened yet.
alm77 (anonymous) says…
Nicely put, Liz. In the capitalistic society that we live in, we all have free speech, but in the end, your dollar is your vote.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
Hey Toddster, I AM doing just that.
Would be kinda stupid to talk about all of my grand plans WAY before it's time though, doncha think.
Douchebag.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
Okay, Jerks Who Don't Get It.
Maybe you're not in the "correct" demographic to appreciate this passing of a friggin' bar, but for the 25-35 year old set who didn't have lots of money, 2 kids, a spouse and a house, there were two bars that felt like home.....The Pig and The Jayhawker. Now we're down to one. The rest of the goddamned city is all too geared towards suburbanites.
One of the biggest failings is, that if you have that much money to spend on renovating, why didn't you hire someone to retain the spirit of the place, or at least design it in a more cohesive manner.
And as for the coporate option vs. vacant option....I'd rather have a ghost town than a fucking mall.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
And you know what, FUCK the dollar being your vote. That's bullshit we're fed to keep us quiet while we think we're "helping the cause". Effing Starbucks isn't suffering because I stopped buying their shitty coffee 3 years ago, neither is Coke, or Citigroup. SBC doesn't give a crap about losing me as a customer and neither does Bank of America or Washington Mutual. All I'm getting, is a tedious list of companies I can't do business with because of their shitty business practices, loose ethics, and all-encompassing care for the dollar. Yes, those "Don't Buy Gas Today" protests have worked so well for us in the past.
There is something more base here at work, something more intrinsic in the American mindset that needs to be changed. People need to wake up in large numbers. I realize it's hard to fight, they've made it hard to fight. Fighting isn't as simple as a protest and a boycott anymore, but even that isn't done very often. You have to campaign. You have to pay attention. You have to write letters, make calls, be heard. Nothing is simple anymore. Nothing.
I'm not blaming anyone. I'm guilty of it too. Technology has given us the appearance of ease and costs us twice as much time to use and digest.
Armchair activism isn't going to cut it anymore.
OtherJoel (anonymous) says…
In the spring of 2003 I came out to check out the sociology grad program at KU. They flew me out and put me up in the Eldridge. I thought the rooms were quite nice. Sure, it wasn't pristine, but it is an old building -- the imperfections added to the charm. This was my first real taste of Lawrence, and a major factor in my moving to this area. I got there in the afternoon, walked up and down Mass, bought a couple of CDs at the Love Garden, went to Free State with some other people on the tour, then finished off the evening in the Jayhawker. It was a great day. I think it was Rob that said that downtown is getting a Plaza vibe -- that "new" old look. I can definitely see it in spite of only having been here a couple of years. I can only imagine how it looks to people who grew up here.
I made several trips to the Jayhawker since, and I'll definitely miss it -- cowboy room and all.
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
And just because it is a chain, doesn't mean it won't go out of business. KC isn't that far away and has pretty much any chain you want. Even chains fail down here.
I can imagine a day I won't drive to Lawrence to get away from it all. Lawrence will be just like what I am leaving. A carbon copy.
OtherJoel (anonymous) says…
I took a while to type this one -- doing other things. I realize that the above thoughts seem terribly out of context. I'm more in a mourning stage -- haven't quite hit the anger phase, but I haven't looked at the "new" Eldridge yet, so it will probably hit at that point based on the above comments.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
Jesus Mike, pessimistic much?
Apparently I'm in the Anger stage....been there for awhile now.
It's not just the Eldridge.
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
Well yea, you have heard little bits of my life, of course I am! Why do you think I hang out at the pig and shake my fist in anger! I need a to wear all black and wear a beret, Viva la Resistance!
The people are another reason I go to Lawrence, the rock and roll hipsters may get old to the Lawrencians, but it is a great change of pace from here!
And Jill, I don't have faith in much anymore. When I head to the east coast on vacation I never really leave home. Because there, nestled in the trees between the history is a Wal-mart, HQ, Target, Best Buy, Chilis, Longhorn, etc... etc.. Just like home.
So I have no faith in much anymore.
gesso (anonymous) says…
half yall dont know what your talking about, your crazy. the owners donwtown didnt get together, say lets create a consperacy and make the rent really expensive. either your stupid as shit or dont know whats up, i will tell you whats up. lawrence has inflated property values both commercial, and private (the avarage home price is over $200,000 which is way over the national avarage, the per capita income for families which does not include students is significently below the national avarage, hence the property values are inflated) and the city property valuations have gone up each year every year, for the last six years which makes property taxes absurdly high. commercial rent downtown is pegged at a rate to cover there asses, so it can pay for the taxes or morgages.
what is more is the property valuations dont repreznet how much buildings downtown have sold for in the last three years, they often sell way above there estimations.
the high downtown rents are not intentionally fixed to be that high!!!!! its businesses like starbucks that push up the building value through gentrifecation etc. that has a trickle down affect to city valuations that push the property taxes up, etc.
the solution is not lowering rent because than the building owners couldnt pay for the buildings, the solution is to elimenate the big businesses that cause the prices to increase.
lawrence is dead. time to find a new place that hasnt been corrupted yet.
leslie (Leslie vonHolten) says…
An aspect of the "feel" of Lawrence that is often overlooked is the culture of kids who don't take their homogenization with a smile. I am thankful that there is a group of people who lament change like the one discussed here. These folks lost something they love. Let them grieve. At least they are plugged in, at least they care, at least they don't just put on their Hollister Tshirts and accept it without further thought.
maclothier (anonymous) says…
The first time my dad came out to visit, he stayed at the Eldridge and we would meet downstairs at the Jayhawker for drinks after my wife and I got off of work. It was a perfect(ly flawed) hotel bar without the background noise/stuff that other bars need to appear popular/trendy/fun/hot and I loved it. Many a night my wife and I would stop in with a friend or two and just relax and talk and lounge in that furniture that looked like they stole it out of my great-grandmother's house. Granted, The Jayhawker wasn't for everyone or for every night, but it did have ambience you could feel from 6th to 8th streets. I went in for a drink today and almost asked if they had the old bar (or a facsimile of it) tucked away in the back somewhere. The defeated look on the bartendress' face when I asked about live music was enough not to further her torture. And "Ten"??? Why not 11, the Nigel Tufnel in me asks! Wouldn't 11 be hipper than 10?!!? And finally, I don't know what they did with the old decor, but I would pay some good money for that sweet Abe Lincoln portrait!
edie_ (anonymous) says…
What really irks me about the boring ass manicure they gave the joint is that the Eldridge is a historical monument. It survived two fires, the Civil War, and Quantrill's raid. It was a standing tribute to Bloody Kansas and history of our town as a free state territory. Jesus, I know the place needed some refurbishing, but you could spend just as much money making it over in a way that respects the aesthetic integrity of the building's past. That's obviously what they did before with the cheesy faux antique furniture. It was cozy. Plus the ghost stories, whether or not they were true, were an exciting part of Lawrence folklore. They certainly didn't hesitate to pave THAT over with their Aryan mayonnaise fuckwad construction project. There's tons of places you can go to watch the shitty game; it was nice for there to be one sneak-away from sports and hipsters. Just because it was bound to happen doesn't mean I have to swallow.
I'll admit, I have a hard time bidding farewell to the hideyholes of the hotel that marked some of the sweet spots of my courtship with my one and only.
Rigg (Mike Rigg) says…
Okay guys,
The Eldridge was dying in its past form. That was the reality.
If you wanted a hotel, bar, and restraunt in that location, this was going to have to be the compromise. We can wax poetic about how "great" the old Eldridge was, but the bottom line said otherwise.
And who said the old chairs at the Jayhawker were comfortable? They sank to the floor and had springs poking you in the ass. (no wisecracks)
Carmenilla (anonymous) says…
I just got back from the Eldridge. All the booze in the world couldn't help me as I sat there numbly with my friends (all ex-bar staff) and realized that the soul of the place was gone. Maybe I was over-reacting but it all seemed very mediocre. The "10" menu was super pedestrian and I watched in horror as a frat boy consumed what had to be the biggest, rawest steak I've ever seen. We sampled the food and it was adequate. I was impressed that they had the French beer Stella Artois. Almost no one carries that, not even liquor stores. More than anything I was smacked hard in the face by all the "business casual" folks who seemed relieved to find the new Eldridge more to their liking. More like a Ruby Tuesdays, more beige and bland and palatable. I'll get over it one of these days.
But I did like the fact that the new woman's bathroom is Rob Phillips' old office. It seems fitting.
zzgoeb (anonymous) says…
Coming in late here...gesso has it right; throw the megacorps out, and things could change. As for the pricey homes, simply place a "non-resident worker" tax on the Lawrencians that make the bucks in KC to stay in Lawrence overnight.
Jill, I feel for your pain, and hope you can rally the activists...try telling the shitty big biz people why you are quiting them...even better tell them it offends your "wholesome Christian values"...;p
I still love the town, and don't think there's a greater place on the planet!!! Keeping going to your favorite places, and screw the franchises!!! Power to the People!!!
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
gesso needs to crack open a grammar book, maybe then I'll listen to his spew. Sorry, I know some people think that's nitpicking, but if you can't communicate in a cohesive and semi-correct manner, I can't respect what you're saying.
Sorry kids, I'm still pissed off. I'm still in a bit of shock. I know some don't understand and many will just move on in a week, but I sincerely hope you don't. I won't spend money at that place. I would have gladly spent a night in the old Eldridge, and now I'm kicking myself for not doing so. This is like that blue state/red state b.s. all over again. I feel fucking alienated and shoved aside. My "demographic" is poor thus making us invisible and pissing me off. I hate money, but I wish I had a surplus of it to start my business sooner, save my like-minded friends from working as corporate shills.
Rigg, where is there a "compromise". There was NO consideration for the former bar and history of that place. None. Maybe I would understand if there had been, but you can't walk into that hotel and feel even a semblance of the past. As edie mentioned, it was just ANY old hotel. The changes were irresponsible and, for most of them, unnecessary.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
Ugh..."...wasn't just ANY old hotel..."
davidryan (David Ryan) says…
And, horror of horrors, the best part for me -- the fine Portrait of the Young Abe -- is no longer there.
As a Yankee from the Land of Lincoln, that always seemed perfect: a portrait of the Emancipation President in a bar on a site of Quantrill's Raid.
And, believe me: I remember Bobby Douglas when he was the Chicago Bear's quarterback.
Not pretty.
I saw them in Soldier Field play once against the Rams for a Monday Night Football game. The crowd spent most of the time booing our home team Bears and their less than agile QB Douglas. Some were even harmonizing their boos to those around them. Why? I don't know. Perhaps because what was going on on the field was so pathetic and futile.
Carmenilla (anonymous) says…
I believe that Abe portrait was emancipated when the place closed down. It crossed the Mason-Dixon line and is headed for freedom! Seriously though it has a good home. Trust me.
Also, speaking of Bobby D. why, oh why did he have to name the restaurant "10"? Its so crappy and tacky and shitty!!! Its like he named it "My Nutsack" or something equally ego-stroking. Grrrr. Not over it yet...And I'm not even hungover.
chrisgladfelter (anonymous) says…
Yeah, but did you see the news a few nights ago when the Eldridge reopened? Bobby D was saying that the new restaurant wasn't named after his jersey number---it was all just a happy coincidence.
As Jackay on "227" would say, "Uhhhh-huhhhhhh."
davidryan (David Ryan) says…
"Seriously though it has a good home. Trust me."
Nice. I'm glad to hear.
Rigg (Mike Rigg) says…
Actually, let me revise my previous comment.
I went there last night with high expectations. Needless to say, the place has a lot of work to do.
First off, it took me about 20 minutes to order a freakin' drink. Worst service in town this side of Tanner's (even though I'll let them slide a little because it was opening night). Also, the place seemed to just be missing something. I wasn't a huge fan of the old Jayhawker, but the new place lacks some cojones. Turn on some music, a TV -- something -- for background noise.
Also, the interior is a little too Mad-Hatterish. Not a good look for a "wine bar."
I'll give it a four out of ten, but I'm willing to try it again when everything is up and running.
Moface (anonymous) says…
As a former bartender who spent nearly five years of my life slinging drinks in the Jayhawker it broke my heart to see it suffer such drastic changes. However, the people who now own the building are not the owners of Starbucks or Hooters. They saw an opportunity to buy a building that meant something to them. The bar will never be what it was but at least it wasn't sold to Doug Compton, who would have turned the hotel into condos. Bobby Douglas and the Cheneys did what they felt was right. They wanted to make the Eldridge new again. The Eldridge has been in financial trouble for a long time and now it has a new lease on life. When we all packed up the old Jayhawker bar we all knew it would never be what it was. We tried to stay positive, but our second home was destroyed. Not because of the Cheneys or Bobby D. but because the Eldridge simply wasn't taken care of. It had so many problems. I'm just as upset as all of you that the historical look of the hotel is gone. I'm also not very happy with the new upscale, yuppie clientel. But what did we all expect? The old Eldridge wasn't making money. The harsh reality in this world is that those of us who have a love of the old are outnumbered by those who want things to be new. Nothing is sacred. I suggest a mass exodus to Europe.
gesso (anonymous) says…
the devil has a name and his name is doug compton.
UKept (anonymous) says…
SC Pomeroy's representin!
I'll never forget my junior high bus-boy days at glorious SC's. My boss, wandering from table to table during sunday brunches with his flyswatter, smashing flies onto white tablecloths right in front of the church-dressed diners.
Good times.
crazyleaflady (anonymous) says…
Let's assume the owners aren't evil. They just don't KNOW any better. Let's assume that they wanted to save the property from Doug Compton. Good for them. I applaud their impulse.
The problem is that they are suburbanites who think beige and tan add value to a property. (People aren't born that way, but it seems to hit a surprising majority of people when their income reaches a certain level. I've seen it happen to people I love. I don't think there's a vaccine yet). And I will assert that it SEEMS that they wanted the bar to reflect the new clientele who would be staying there: out of town frat and soror parents from suburban Chicago, and sports-loving b-school alumni who are in town to support the Hawks. To do that, you sort of have to change the bar so it will drive out the townies who actually made the Jayhawker, if not the Eldridge as a whole, successful, so your fellow polo-shirted tan-slacked guests won't feel ill at ease next to the thrift-store-bedecked 30-somethings with tattoos nearby. Mission accomplished!
Downtown is not yet dead. Let's not give up YET, please. There are still some landlords (hippies and others who bought property in the 60s and who aren't losing money by holding on to it), who still have an at least temporary commitment to staying put. The problem is that the suburbanites who want to come to Lawrence because it's so "cute" also have the money to buy the buildings for a buttload. We (I'm assuming a community of bitching Lawrence hipsters and wannabes who make less than 100,000/yea) don't. Every time someone does that, rents and property values go WAY up. That puts pressure even on the well-managed local businesses.
So, either we pool our money and BUY some buildings downtown for a mill or two or three, or we start working on ways to tax the bastards so they will have to pay (more) to play, orthink about laws. I love the idea of a non-resident tax on propery owners. Problem is that it's too late: it'll end up pushing rents up on the few local businesses left who have out-of-town landlords.
Maybe we can all buy some land up North a ways? Perry? Oscaloosa? Or maybe start a movement to incorporate East Topeka (everything west of Kasold, maybe? Or certainly Monterey) so they'll leave us alone? And pass a law banning Doug Compton from setting foot within the new city limits? I'm only partly kidding. We need to start talking to the lawmakers in this town while there's still a progressive majority. All you cranky smokers and fireworks junkies who didn't vote Jim Carpenter in have a lot to answer for. The turnout was CRAP! But that's another thread ;).
bwoodard (Bill Woodard) says…
Was just having a conversation about the demise of the Jayhawker last night, and we concluded that they really did miss the boat when naming the new bar/restaurant. Why not just call it what it is: Beige Bar. Kinda catchy, and the frat-tastic crowd could call it B-Squared. Be Squared. Yep. That's about right----it's as square now as an Applebee's.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
Next thing we know, there'll be kitschy "antique" road signs and assorted Americana crap on the walls.
bwoodard (Bill Woodard) says…
Amen. Old football helmets, basketball nets and hockey sticks are just around the bend.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention my profound disappointment in the fact that they removed the fish pond from the lobby----a golden oldie memory from my childhood. When I was a little tike back in the 60s I'd get my haircut at the basement barbershop (guy's name was Harry Courtney, and fact is he didn't have much hair at all, so I always thought his moniker amusing), then race upstairs to gaze at the goldfish. Corny, I know. But. When the Eldridge went through its previous remodel, at least they kept the child-pleasing pond. I even sent 'em a Polaroid of my sister and I so they'd know its location during the demolition period.
Carmenilla (anonymous) says…
Ohmigod! I was so tipsy/freaked out/disgusted when I went in that I didn't even notice that the fish pond was gone! Bastards!!! Bastards, I say. How could they do that to all us moms who sip lambic while the muchkin admires the giant koi. They really have no soul, do they? And did I notice on the menu a whole fried fish? Uh huh, sure its "catfish".....
bwoodard (Bill Woodard) says…
Tonight's special: Pepper-encrusted Koi with Kaw River Top Secret Tartar Sauce (For a limited time, of course....and no, you DO NOT want to imagine the ingredients for that sauce...)
Carmenilla, I agree, that thing was a Godsend for parents with little ones. (Scientific studies prove that watching a fish tank lowers blood pressure----it's calming, and two-year-olds need all the calming they can get, right?!)
Anyhow, it's understandable that you missed the missing pond. It's damned disorienting in there now. A couple of things are definite improvements: the new elevator and the refurbished ballroom floor. Got those two things right. Not that it takes a brain surgeon to figure either as a good idea.
liz (Liz Weslander) says…
I finally went in there Saturday night and I was far more saddened by the removal of the fish pond than I was by the new bar. However, I will concur that all the complaints mentioned on here are valid. I went in there intending to get a drink and had no interest in staying. That said, the place was full (of people who I don't want to drink with) and I think that people downtown is a good thing.
I think it's unconstructive to curse people who don't have the same taste as me and insist that they are going to ruin downtown. I just don't buy it.
The Eldridge's history goes back much further than the Jayhawker (if you want to get technical the REAL bar, Sgt. Preston's, was downstairs and according to my parents had an atmosphere that surpased the accidental synergy that the Jayhawker had) In my opinion, everyone should be just as pissed at Rob Phiilips for running the former Eldridge into the ground.
Carmenilla (anonymous) says…
Oh, Liz we are mad at Rob and his bungling ways. That is why its great that his old office is now the women's bathroom. I hope he knows how "pissed" I am!
bwoodard (Bill Woodard) says…
Actually, Sgt. Preston's was located on New Hampshire, next to Quantrill's Flea Market (the Preston's building is now some kind of dance club, can't think of the name).
The bar your folks speak of was located in the Big Six room, a space that's undergone many transformations, including as a sports bar (big surprise) and as a discotechque known as "Moody's" (and yes, it was just as cheesy as that sounds). Don't know what they've done with that space at this point. Didn't make it downstairs.
I agree that it's unconstructive to curse and vilify others with dissimilar tastes, but I think the discourse here speaks more to the community's concern with preserving a modicum of the old Eldridge charm. I've watched that building undergo several renovations in my life, from hotel to apartments to hotel to hotel. These folks ponied up big bucks to keep the hotel a hotel (and not, as someone else pointed out, turn it into condos so that only a few could even enjoy the historic structure). For that I applaud them. I just wish they'd balanced the gentrification with the genuine charms of the old 'Dridge.
bwoodard (Bill Woodard) says…
Liz: Just thought it over and the name Sgt. Preston's may also have been used @ the Eldridge (after the demise of the aforementioned joint on N.H., which was a chain out of Minnesota, I believe). So. Apologies to your parents if I was mistaken about that. I do know that the first Sgt. Preston's (actually known as Sgt. Preston's of the North) was a fern bar on N.H. that had a big-assed canoe dangling from the ceiling.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
Oh man....I too didn't think to notice the pond. My hatred is re-kindled.
>:( <---------actual photo.
kidmystic (anonymous) says…
Ms. Zilla-
Believe me, I whole heartedly agree with your assessment of the new Jayhawker (especially the 5, count 'em, 5 TV's), but concerning your earlier rant about every evil corporation in Lawrence, there is a fine line between clueless dirty hippie and informed activist that makes a difference. Dread lightly.
The Jayhawker is gone (silence)- now to henry's upstairs!!!!!!!!
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
I will certainly dread lightly, whatever the fuck that means.
There's also a fine line between lazy, ignorant bastard and arrogant and apathetic townie.
If Henry's is what we're left with (and I still say the Pig is a better choice, but by all means, go to Henry's), then this is my current portrait: :(
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
Yes, the pig. Love the pig, need to get back to the pig. The pig will always be the same... right? .... right?
kidmystic (anonymous) says…
TREAD i mean damnit, not dread, sorry.
i agree, if people don't take time to spell check, hard to take them seriously.
pissykitty (Melissa Lynch) says…
I really wasn't too afraid until I read about the 5 tvs. I wept. I love my cartoons, don't get me wrong, but if I want to watch them I'll stay at home. There is hardly a place where you can get away from that unblinking eye. Its always watching...
thomgreen (anonymous) says…
I'm just going to miss the Happy Drinks and starting the evening out at the Eldridge. I walked by on their grand opening private party day, peered in, and will never go there again. Its good to see a business downtown doing well, and its always nice to keep the foot traffic downtown, hopefully helping out other businesses down there too, but its just one less bar option I have. I get enough of the bland world at work. I need stimulus and polo shirts, clean cut business people, and sports center on 5 T.V.'s just doesn't cut it. Long live Henry's and The Pig.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
kidmystic, yeah....I knew what you meant. I'm just an ass. :)
thomgreen, my theory...is that though initially the Jayhawker and its new look will do well, I don't see it being lucrative. Yes, I know these people have money, more than I do anyway. But the thing is, it's NOT any different from any other "yuppie" hangout in town really. I think they would have had a better chance at long-lasting revitilization (read: commercial success) if they'd kept more to the original design/layout/feel and just upgraded with new carpet, A/C, re-upholstery and the like.
Of course, I'm drunk (read: not drunk, tired) and that could just be wishful thinking.
thomgreen (anonymous) says…
I totally agree with you. But the hope is, at least the way I quantify it, is that we'll have something akin to Reaganomics and the trickle down affect....oh, hold on, that didn't work. Well, I guess I can just hope that the frat types stay there and don't come to an epiphany and find out about the pig or Henry's.
Oh and I liked the saddle seats. But it was always hard to sit in the saddles backwards for any long period of time.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
hard? Or FUN?
I never had the chance to sit in the saddle-seats. this make jill angry! jill smash!
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
Que mournful piano music.
*Godjilla walks off into the distance, a backpack slung over her shoulder*
He always has to leave town after his rampages after all ;)
citizenx (anonymous) says…
The saddle seats were actually really fun. But not pragmatic. There was actually nothing pragmatic about the Jayhawker...always felt like I was sitting in the Masterpiece Theater or something. But I liked it, and as far as I know a lot of people drank there regularly. When I saw the changes, I too was about to explode with great furious anger...but what can we do.
Snoop (anonymous) says…
get off you ass and update your damm blog!!!!!!
sorry I was bored::
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
She did walk off into the distance.......
Snoop (anonymous) says…
we ought to keep ragging her until she comes out of hiding.
so i say again update your damm blog!!!!!
have a nice day :-)
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
I have to update from a standing position?
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
Yes, the more the pain the better the blog? Hanging form the ceiling by your toes?
Nice to see you are still alive, just not enough angst to vomit forth another blog?
Snoop (anonymous) says…
She's alive!!!
I guess I should have added to the original conversation about the Jay:whatever.
the place sucks!!
The decor is ok, but the acoustics are terrible. The place is noisy and uncomfortable.
The place apparently draws Sorostitutes (Mitzi's term SP?), loud, screeching, irritating whiney females. AND the bartender fucked up a Long Island Ice Tea of all things.
That's my 2 cent rant for the day. Its way to quite here at work.
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
How do you screw up a long island ice tea? Wow...
I don' t think I will even go to the J, so much bad, so much bad....
Snoop (anonymous) says…
Well the one good this is that the louder screeching females must like the place, which make Teller's a more desirable place to go for drinks and socializing.
The J was clearly someone's bright idea without really doing their homework as to what makes a good drinking and socializing establishment.
The bartenders are clueless. The worst sign of all for new bars. My Long Island was in a short glass with WAY too much sour mix and no color. I figure if you can't make a decent LI you don't deserve to be behind the bar.
ladylaw (Terry Bush) says…
I concur. I went trying to keep an open mind (for I too spent far too little money in the old JayHawker to justify whining that they'd made a change). BUT even with a fairly open mind, I ended up hating it. The main problem WAS the noise (it was relatively full, but not standing room only). My date and I could hardly stand the reverberating conversations. It made eavesdropping easy.... But the group's average age was 25 and the decible level would have ruined my ear drums if I had stayed longer than one drink. Someone needs to give them a clue about that noise thing AND making Long Island Ice Teas! How DO you screw that up? A short glass!? If you are going to ask folks to pay $7+ for a drink - at least get it right!
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
Frankly, recent events in my life have inspired happiness and I'm finding it hard to conjure up some good ol' fashioned bile.
So.....quick, someone piss me off.
Snoop (anonymous) says…
Ah Jilla thats like offering Homer a donut.....
Some stupid things that piss me off::I'd thought I'd share
You really think that putting a $1500 set of rims on a shitty ride is a good thing, because you say to yourself "I'll fix up the rest later"....., you are a vegetarian because you think its healthier BUT you smoke, drink on a regular basis and NEVER exercise.....but you bitch at people who engage in flesh eating!, you have ever said "I only shop
at quality clothing stores," not knowing the clothes from your "quality" clothing store were made by the same 12 year old overseas!, you have ever said to yourself "I MUST go to church TODAY!", you have ever said "honey I don't mind that your front teeth are missing, it shows off your eyes", you voted for Shrub on "moral grounds", yet you think to yourself how cool it would have been for my history teacher to have screwed me.....meanwhile your wife who is 20 years younger parades around in her new bedroom attire, you have considered eating road kill, you bump to Jessica Simpson in your Escalade, you are considering buying a TIVO when you have never bothered to learn how to use a VCR, you have ever littered while in Downtown Lawrence, you think Don's Steakhouse has the "best dern stakes in town", chicks who wear Ugg boots AND you need your ass backhanded for paying $120 plus for those ugly ass wannabee footwear!!, you just can't get enough redneck humor, you thought Martin Luther King was a trouble maker, you dis church goin' folk but think the Salvation Army is a fine organization, you actually believe that gay boy scout leaders is a good thing, however you think hetero men should not be girl scout leaders, you drive faster in bad weather because you need to justify buying that SUV, you used child support money to buy yourself a new car AND you still think you don't get enough child support from that bastard with whom you let knock you up in the back of his pick-up, anyone who has not said "I love you to their mom in the last month, anyone who slaps a bumper sticker on a $20k plus car, anyone who purchased a Yugo, if you STILL have a Kerry for president on your car, you have attended a costume party dressed in a Nazi uniform, you introduced yourself to the guy at the next urinal, you have stuck your head over an occupied stall and ask for the time, you wear pajamas in public not cute people...
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
Well I guess that is good for Jill nad bad for the blogs!
I'll take Jill being happy over needing a blog fix ;)
And what is this. Snoop sounds a little calmer too? Is the angst and bile slaughing off in the spring air? Geesh!
Snoop (anonymous) says…
Snoop sound calmer because I have good meds.
I have been a bit more mellow::.i'm so ashamed waaaaa.
Where is Ydog when ya need em?
Jilla is U in Luv or Something?
Pardon me for gettin' all up in ya bizness, but:.. well you're a semi public figure and we citizen have a right to know::.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
It's true. I've finally found the vibrator of my dreams.
You are all invited to the wedding.
toreador (Michael Austin) says…
You finally found the rabbit?
Just elope to France ;)
Geesh, happy Jill, happy Snoop. What is this world coming to....
ladylaw (Terry Bush) says…
I do think that winter weather brings out the cranky in most people, and conversley, spring makes the spirits lift..in general.
Happy you are happy Jilla.
But we miss you!
Snoop (anonymous) says…
Well tell us about this vibrator::.
What color is it?
How long?
What type of batteries does it take?
What type of material?
Where was it made?
Was it on sale?
Was it a gift?
Did it come with a warranty?
How is it stored?
Is it better used in the left or right hand?
Is it quite or a bit noisy?
Details please, details::.
godjilla (Jill Ensley) says…
It is the Jilla's way to downplay anything mushy in her personal life to the general public, at least initially. That said, you can all go fuck yourselves....I'm still a cranky bitch. ;)
LOVE!
xxoo