Old Chicago style bar to open next week

Robert Henry Becker Arizona Summer Wildcat The Rhino Pub, a new brewery on Sixth St., features two sitting areas and a bar space, and is connected to Legend's Cafe. The pub should open around July 15.

In an effort to revive the East Sixth Street area in the midst of UA construction and expansion, a new pub will open next week giving students and local residents more choices in their quest to quench their thirst.

The Rhino Pub, 1118 E. Sixth St., will be open to the public on July 14 or 15, said owner Lon Wirtz.

Bobby Verenna, an economics senior who will bartend at the establishment, said: "I think our location is ideal. It is close to the UA and several neighborhoods so people can walk here and enjoy a good beer."

The pub is connected to the Legend's Cafe, 1120 E. Sixth St. and will feature food off its menu.

Wirtz, who also owns the building which houses the caf‚, said construction and renovation began on the new 4,000-square-foot pub in January, 1996. The cost of the construction was estimated at $100,000.

David Mathieu, a recent UA graduate, said the bar's location is ideal for students who live south of campus.

"People are looking for a new club in that area and it sure would be nice to have a close place to stumble home from," he said.

Because several restaurants like Pizza City and Sixth Street Bar and Grill have closed down or relocated in recent years due to university expansion, the Sixth Street businesses are trying to revive the area, Wirtz said.

The pub is also trying to tap into the crowds that frequent the area during the football and basketball seasons, he said.

Verenna said the pub's major selling point will be "good beers at reasonable prices."

The building has hardwood floors and has an old building feel to it, much like the old-style bars from Chicago.

Rhino will feature three televisions with a satellite, one pool table, one foos ball table and darts, Wirtz said. Customers can also buy their own personalized 32-ounce mug that will be engraved with their name and left at the bar so they can always drink out of the same glass for a reduced price.

Wirtz said he originally wanted to open in March or April but receiving permits from the city took longer than he expected. This, he said, necessitated a grand opening in the summer.

He said he plans to have another grand opening when most of the University of Arizona students return in August.

Verena said he is not worried about the mid-summer opening. In fact, he said it will give the employees more time to work out the kinks normally associated with a new business before all the students come back.

The bar will be open seven days a week from 3 p.m. to 1 a.m., except on Sundays when it will probably open earlier, Wirtz said.

Kevin Mathews, a graduate student in chemistry, said the bar would give students a greater variety of choices.

"It will be good to have a bar somewhere other than the westside of campus and Fourth Avenue that students can go to," he said.

Verenna said the UA has been very supportive in helping to get them started, including helping them design a parking lot.