Best use for Station 19

[drinks at Northpoint]

I work weird hours and I'm bored. A different thread got me dreaming about winning the lottery and buying Station 19. I would then turn it into an old time sports bar. Lots of brick, lots of pennants, memorabilia, etc. The final piece would be Bruce Smith's Heisman on display after I purchased it for $400k. We would have great bar food and serve killer breakfast burritos and breakfast pizza's for 11 am starts. These would be served outdoors under a tent. For basketball and hockey games, we would have specials on beer and buffalo wings. It would be the #1 destination for pre and post game festivities.
What would you do with Station 19 if money were no obstacle?

 

[ulfr]

I work weird hours and I'm bored. A different thread got me dreaming about winning the lottery and buying Station 19. I would then turn it into an old time sports bar. Lots of brick, lots of pennants, memorabilia, etc. The final piece would be Bruce Smith's Heisman on display after I purchased it for $400k. We would have great bar food and serve killer breakfast burritos and breakfast pizza's for 11 am starts. These would be served outdoors under a tent. For basketball and hockey games, we would have specials on beer and buffalo wings. It would be the #1 destination for pre and post game festivities.
What would you do with Station 19 if money were no obstacle?

I am sure hundreds if not thousands would be in favor of making it a bar, and have dreamed of buying it with that fabled lottery winnings or long-lost rich dead uncle's loot. I know I certainly have dreamed those dreams!

I believe it was a bar once in the '80's but somebody who was a drinker back then would have to confirm that.

 

[ulfr]

For the record all those firemen's poles make me think of one thing that the U would never let be that close to their athletic park...
But I could see it making a fortune!

 

[station19]

Confirmed

I am sure hundreds if not thousands would be in favor of making it a bar, and have dreamed of buying it with that fabled lottery winnings or long-lost rich dead uncle's loot. I know I certainly have dreamed those dreams!

I believe it was a bar once in the '80's but somebody who was a drinker back then would have to confirm that.

I'm not your uncle, rich or dead(at least as of this writting) but it was a mighty fine bar and rest.

If I owned it I would offer free cocktails for all Gopher Holers.

 

[ProGopher]

Find Louis and Geronimo.....

And RE-OPEN Station 19..... Any of you from the 1990-1994 era would have known them.

Unfortunately a bouncer from that ERA was just convicted of being a peeping tom for the 3rd time or so....

 

[station19]

Could you bring your own pole or would you have to lease one from the U?

 

[dpodoll68]

Something like this might be pretty hard to achieve because Station 19 is on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

[GopherinPhilly]

Station 19 was destination #1 after BB and Hockey games for drinks, music and a wonderful variety of coeds and cougars...but with all those poles...I am thinking a different kind of bar if I won the lottery...still have great wings and beer though.

 

[dpodoll68]

but with all those poles...I am thinking a different kind of bar if I won the lottery...

Ha...yeah, the players would only have to go across the street to get in deep trouble, instead of having to drive all the way downtown.

 

[ChemEGopher]

It'd be a great spot for a basketball practice facility

 

[AuEGO4]

Wasn't that place called Sparky's in the 90's???

 

[GopherGod]

Wasn't that place called Sparky's in the 90's???

It was, also called Station 19 as well at one time as a bar. It was my favorite campus bar back in the mid 90's when I was in college.

 

[sec105]

It was a cool Bar. Out the door and into The Barn in less than a minute.

 

[oak_street1981]

A BB facility could be where that ugly 1950's era

lobby sits on the south side of Williams Arena.

That ugly, squat lobby could be obliterated with a large first floor lobby built between Univ. Ave. and the Arena.

The practice areas could be on a very vertical second level, featuring a southern exterior right up to Univeristy with walls built to emulate the Williams Arena brick wall with windows to match the large, but now unfortunately bricked in windows seen today.

Why were all these windows bricked in? Fire code, safety?

New improved access areas to the south seating areas and barn lofts could also be built above the lobby between the start of the practice/ gym areas and the existing south wall.

The whole thing could cost 50M?, but it would keep Williams viable for years.

Maybe they could build some premium balcony suite areas up above the west deck extending back partially (20 ft or so) into and very high above the sports pavillion floor as well. (bars, pissers, flat screen TVs ect.)

 

[ulfr]

lobby sits on the south side of Williams Arena.

That ugly, squat lobby could be obliterated with a large first floor lobby built between Univ. Ave. and the Arena.

The practice areas could be on a very vertical second level, featuring a southern exterior right up to Univeristy with walls built to emulate the Williams Arena brick wall with windows to match the large, but now unfortunately bricked in windows seen today.

Why were all these windows bricked in? Fire code, safety?

New improved access areas to the south seating areas and barn lofts could also be built above the lobby between the start of the practice/ gym areas and the existing south wall.

The whole thing could cost 50M?, but it would keep Williams viable for years.

Maybe they could build some premium balcony suite areas up above the west deck extending back partially (20 ft or so) into and very high above the sports pavillion floor as well. (bars, pissers, flat screen TVs ect.)

And this affects the old fire house how?

It's all moot because when I win that 186 million tommorow night I will do what ever I want with that old fire station.

 

[swmngo4]

O_S1981,
I hope something like you described happens. Although I really want a basketball practice facility, I would hate for it to be done on the east end of Williams Arena by where Station 19 is now. A few reasons for this...

1) that view of The Barn from the open end of the new stadium is amazing! Seeing historic Williams Arena in the background and behind the end zone and the scoreboard in person and especially on TV will be a signature of TCF Stadium. It seems like they even build an arch over the entrances of the stadium to match (and surround) the view of the arched Barn. (remember that picture a while back from someone that toured that showed that amazing view of the Barn from the top of the steps inside the stadium?) It would be shame if all that was lost.

2) That piece of land around Station 19 would just be so great as a Hall of Fame, a Gopher monument park, or even a sports bar. Heck it's even in the shape of a football! Space like that between two major sports facilities is just too cool.

3) The view of (and into) TCF Bank Stadium from Williams Arena is also really sweet. You can't help but to be impressed by the stadium when leaving the Barn from those east doors or especially the view from that club room inside the Barn. Don't want to mess with that.

 

[oak_street1981]

The post right below yours just

And this affects the old fire house how?

It's all moot because when I win that 186 million tommorow night I will do what ever I want with that old fire station.

answered your question. The space between the three sports facilities could only be improved by burying Oak Street in a tunnel. Building a boxy bb facilty there would do nothing at all positive.

 

[ulfr]

Why were all these windows bricked in? Fire code, safety?

I noticed that in some older photos [circa our last Rosebowl which is what I was looking for at the time) they appeared to be covered by large metal vents and were perhaps removed when the building entered the AC era. In this photo during construction the left-most arch seems to have been already covered though the others remain open.

In any case if anybody has a better time trolling for some old photos of the barn and its mystery arched "windows" please do share.