Thirsty Beaver | |
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Restaurant information | |
Established | 2008 |
Owner(s) | Brian and Mark Wilson |
Street address | 1225 Central Ave |
City | Charlotte |
County | Mecklenburg County |
State | North Carolina |
Postal/ZIP Code | 28204 |
Country | US |
Coordinates | 35°13′17″N 80°49′02″W / 35.2213°N 80.8173°W |
The Thirsty Beaver is a bar (sometimes referred to as a dive bar) surrounded by an apartment complex, in Charlotte, North Carolina, United States. The establishment was started in a one-story building by two brothers in 2008. When established, the property was surrounded by vacant lots but in 2015, a development company purchased all of the land surrounding the bar. When the owners of the bar's land and building held out against two offers from a developer, the development company built apartments in a horseshoe shape around the bar.
The owners of the Thirsty Beaver are brothers Brian and Mark Wilson, [1] who lease the bar from the property owner, George Salem. The Salem family owns the building and the strip of land where the bar sits. [2] Salem has said that the land has been in his family for many years and he did not want to sell it. [3] The bar was opened in 2008 and it was meant to be a neighborhood bar. [4] The bar was surrounded by vacant lots at the time. [5]
The Thirsty Beaver is located in the Plaza-Midwood neighborhood of Charlotte, North Carolina. [6] It is one story tall and occupies 1,000 sq ft (93 m2). [7] The bar garnered attention when developers Crosland Southeast and Nuveen Real Estate began construction of an apartment complex in the immediate area and tried – but failed – to purchase the bar's property. [6] The Washington Post stated that "this small dive bar is a middle finger to the development surrounding it". [8] The bar's survival became what owner Mark Wilson referred to as "a protest". [4]
In 2013, the owners of the vacant land around the building erected a fence which surrounded the building. Patrons of the Thirsty Beaver began attaching signs of support to the fence and some attached brassieres. [3] The fire inspector assisted the bar owners in getting the fence removed and the bar remained open. [7] In 2015, CW Development purchased all of the land around the Thirsty Beaver for US$8.5 million (equivalent to $10.9 million in 2023 [9]). [3] The land was sold to develop a 323-unit apartment complex. [7]
The developer twice offered to purchase the Thirsty Beaver property, but both offers were rejected. [7] The developer stated, "We've made several attempts through the entire development process to acquire that property, very unsuccessfully." [3]
When the owners of the land would not sell, an apartment building was constructed and wrapped around the Thirsty Beaver in the shape of a horseshoe. [1] The Associated Press said the bar had become "Charlotte's own version of the house from Up, the Pixar movie". [10]
The bar has been described as "quirky". Painted on the side of the building is a large orange beaver with red eyes. [10] The Charlotte Observer noted that there are "dozens of bras nailed to the entrances". [11] On the walls of the bar are a picture of Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson, a poster for Bartles & Jaymes, and lunchboxes depicting the shows Hee Haw and Gunsmoke. [12] In 2015, a church was holding services at the bar on one Sunday afternoon of every month. [12]
In 2021, the establishment received national attention when Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones posted an image on social media of himself drinking there. [13]