Iconic Midtown building—home to Kent's Lounge, Waterworks—torn down this week

It was a sunny afternoon in 1973 when Tommy Brown Jr. stopped by the late Kent Strauss' liquor store, Northside Package, on Thomasville Road.

Strauss was looking to make a little more money after other liquor stores began to sprout up, so he opened a lounge where Brown, his father and a handful of others gathered for laughs, chats and mixed drinks, then sold at 80 cents.

Brown would play rock, soul and country music on his guitar and became a moneymaker for what evolved into Kent's Lounge. The opportunity encouraged his move from Louisiana to become one of the lounge's main draws.

Brown told the Tallahassee Democrat Tuesday morning that "it absolutely just was the place to be" for decades.

Fast forward 52 years. Brown, still in Tallahassee, found out the building – which later became the Waterworks bar and restaurant – was being demolished. Waterworks closed suddenly in January.

The property now is slated for additional parking in Midtown and the expansion of a neighboring business, the Midtown Reader bookshop.

More: Waterworks in Midtown Tallahassee to be torn down for bookstore expansion, parking

Brown said he learned about the demolition when he received a call at work, which offers a trash removal service, Monday afternoon.

"We were called to put the Dumpster on that site, and when I saw the address, 1133 Thomasville Road, right away I knew exactly where it was. I spent a lot of my life there, you know, and I thought, oh my God, they're tearing it down."

Waterworks in particular was one of the early pioneers of Midtown, sparking its evolution into the retail district it is today.

Brown took to Facebook this week to share his sentiments for the space, where many other longtime patrons reacted as well.

One Facebook user commented: "Kent's was great. Another piece of Tallahassee history gone. The building will be gone, but never the memories people made!"

Another user commented: "I’m pretty sure I was there that first night you played and many nights after! The Kent's crowd was like a family - will cherish those memories (the ones I actually remember) forever!"

Kyla A Sanford covers dining and entertainment for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at ksanford@tallahassee.com.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Iconic Midtown building—home to Kent's Lounge, Waterworks—torn down this week