East Austin Landmark Dive Bar Longbranch Inn Closes Down, Latest Victim Of Escalating Rents

EAST AUSTIN, TX -- Another East Austin institution bites the dust.

The Longbranch Inn recently closed without fanfare after more than 80 years on East 11th Street, the Austin American-Statesman reported. The neighborhood fixture offered a respite from the world's worries to generations, a throwback dive bar offering cheap drinks and good music to its loyal clientele.

But the owner of the place was recently served with an eviction notice. Evictions of old mainstays have become an all-too-common occurrence in gentrified Austin where property owners seem all too willing to take top dollar from speculators capitalizing on now-trendy neighborhoods that once weren't appealing to real estate investors.

The eviction notice at Longbranch ordered owner Jim Stockbauer to be out by Sept. 24, the Statesman reported.

It's the second time in recent days that an East Austin watering hole gets the boot. Officials at Rio Rita on East 6th Street announced earlier this month they are looking to relocate elsewhere in the city after the rent on 6th Street got too high to handle.

>>> Read the full story at Austin American-Statesman

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