Buddy Holly Avenue
Posted by admin | Filed under News
Welcome To The Depot
Posted by admin | Filed under News
The Depot District is the dynamic heart, the entertainment center of
Lubbock’s reemerging Downtown scene,.
The Fort Worth Denver and South Plains Railway Depot opened in 1928, and in its
second incarnation, became the City’s finest restaurant in 1976. The Depot
Restaurant and Bar was in continuous operation until 1996, the building
becoming the present day Buddy Holly Center. The Depot Restaurant may have
closed, but not before becoming the catalyst for the beginning of the Downtown
Revolution-The Depot Beer Garden. The 19th Street Warehouse, Stubbs BBQ,
Palladian, Liquid 2000 and Red Door were some of the descendants of the Depot
Restaurant and the vision of Ronnie and Caroline Thompson and Mr. Luther
Avitts.
The Cactus Theater opened its doors to the downtown area in 1938, showing first
and second run movies through 1958. In 1993 Don and Terri Caldwell along with a
group of investors revitalized it and opened the region’s premier live
entertainment showcase. The Cactus Theater is the live show cornerstone of
today’s Depot District. The Cactus chapter of the District is still being
written, but it is safe to say that the reestablishment of it was instrumental
in businesses like Bleachers, Kyle’s 88 Key Café, Tom’s Daiquiri Place,
Cloussseau’s, Frank ‘n’ Steins, The Blue Light Live, Triple J’s and the
new Cactus Courtyard locating downtown.
The oldest continuously operating business in the Depot District is Brown’s
Barber Shop established in 1928 and in continuous operation since. This history
of service busineses is continued today in The Bijou, Hulla b’lu, All About
Looks and Tony Toni’s. The personal touch is still alive in Downtown
Lubbock.
On the corner of 19th Street and Buddy Holly Ave. sits a 62 year old landmark
that remains with the original family, the A. B Greer Building, still known to
most as Greer’s Iron Works .It was opened in 1946 by Mr. A. B Greer and his
father Mr. Edwin Greer. It was considered to be the finest ornamental iron
works in the area and remained at the top until closing in 2003.Tony Greer, the
son and grandson, opened Tornado Gallery in 2007 and it is one of the vibrant
new directions the Depot District is moving towards. The development of unique
spaces such as Melt, La Diosa and Klusoz led the way for the inclusion of a
contemporary art gallery into the Depot District experience.. Along with The
Thirsty Turtle, O’Reilly’s Irish Pub, Shooters, The Library and The Depot
Cotton Club these are some businesses that make up the District today.
The future of the Depot District is being built now…the site of the original
Lubbock Coca-Cola bottling plant is being renovated into McPherson Cellars a
full blown Texas winery that will have a bottling plant, tasting room and other
multi-purpose spaces. This amazing project is under construction now and will be
open soon.
