Downtown will soon have a “dive-ish” bar: John Henry’s.
The 1,777-square-foot bar at 117 N. Sixth Ave., which previously held Constant Con, is expected to open in mid-November.
“We noticed a void of a dive bar feel downtown, so this was our solution,” said Brenndon Scott, co-owner at John Henry’s.
Located near the railroad tracks, Scott wanted the bar name to be railroad themed. A friend of his ran a bar in Portland, Oregon named John Henry’s. That bar has since closed, so Scott was gifted the bar name.
Scott also co-owns bars Bashful Bandit and The Boxyard. He drew inspiration for the new bar from The District Tavern, which operated as a dive bar on East Congress Street for about a decade before closing in 2015.
While a dive bar was the primary goal upon starting, it ended up nicer than anticipated.
“It’s a little cozier and nicer, sort of a neighborhood lounge,” Scott said. “The District was kind of a bit of our inspiration in designing it, but it turned out different as we built it out.”
Additionally, the interior will feature murals from local artist Jessica Gonzales. The business is also looking into creating a patio once they have the proper licensing.
Although the bar won’t serve food, they plan on housing food trucks, Scott said. The full bar will include options ranging from PBR to Champagne.
“We’ve got a bunch of Tucson veteran bartenders making fun drinks,” Scott said. “We’re playing with mezcal and all the fun stuff everybody’s excited about right now.”
Many of the bartenders will be familiar faces to the Tucson beverage crowd, he added.
“We’re stoked to be in the path of progress downtown,” Scott said. “We’re in the middle of some really exciting new developments coming through.”
Operating hours will be 4 p.m. – 2 a.m. daily.
Stay tuned for additional details.
