THE BLACK LABRADOR TAKES ON NEW LIFE
University of St. Thomas restores a place for students, alumni
For over 30 years, the Black Labrador on Montrose Boulevard was a gathering spot, a British-style pub where people could spend time and have conversation before it closed in December 2019, just months before the pandemic would drive a slew of local bars and restaurants out of business.
Now, the former pub is showing signs of life once more. The strip’s longtime owner, the University of St. Thomas, is returning the space to its roots as a gathering spot — this time, with a special focus on becoming a place for students and alumni.
When the Black Lab moved out of the space, University of St. Thomas was looking for more places for students and alumni to spend time, said Jeff Olsen, vice president of marketing at the university. The pub where students had already grown to love spending their time, he said, seemed a natural fit.
Updates to the space, which began in early spring, have been minimal to maintain the character of the friendly pub. The renovations include taking down wallpaper, putting up a fresh coat of paint, fixing sconces, replacing old carpeting and bringing in new furniture .
“We love the way the Black Lab looks, and we love the way it makes our alumni feel because they’ve spent so much time there,” Olsen said.
The main bar is being readied as a space for alumni engagement events. When events are not being held, the plan is to sell coffee and grab-and-go meals that will be open to the public starting in fall of 2022.
Cezanne , the upstairs jazz venue affiliated with the Black Labrador, will also be used for community engagement. And the former Churchill Room, once reserved by large groups, has been turned into a lounge for students participating in the University of St.
Thomas’s Rising Stars program, which pairs students with parttime office jobs at some of Houston’s largest corporations to earn funds toward tuition.
Gone are the golden letters spelling out the Black Labrador’s name and the picture of a dog looking out on a field. But the interior is mostly unchanged. Its multiple wooden bars and art deco lamps are still in place.
“Alumni call it the Black Lab still,” Olsen said of the space.
On the other side of a yellow door — once the entrance to the Churchill Room — a dozen students gathered in what’s now called the Rising Stars Lounge. The Rising Stars program, which is in its third year, has quickly grown from five students to 100. Most are the first in their families to attend a university.
Around a table, students chatted and worked. Christopher Amaro, a freshman studying international business, was typing up a speech for his campaign for freshman senator.
Yasmine De La Rosa, a freshman who is working with the Houston Ballet through the program, was unwinding after an English literature class. Tirranye Jones, a sophomore working part time with the Hackett Center for Mental Health through the program, pored over a finance textbook, part of the lounge’s nascent library. (Rising Stars Program Manager Daniel Garcia is seeking textbook donations.)
Jones said the lounge was an invaluable space, especially during the pandemic.
“Last year, I was a freshman, and I really didn’t have anywhere to go,” she said. “So, every time I needed somewhere to be to feel connected, I’d come here — I felt like it was my own personal space, a safe haven.”