I hated to see this

[alstl]

ALTON -- A business in downtown Alton was gutted by fire this morning.

About 2:40 a.m. today, fire crews got the call for the blaze at Riverbend Billiards and Grill, at 411 Piasa Steet in Alton. Walls near the front of the business collapsed, and crews fought to keep the fire from spreading to a neighboring business. By 7 a.m., crews were still putting out hotspots at the billiards business.


No injuries were reported.

Firefighters are trying to pinpoint the cause of the fire.

Piasa Street, also known as U.S. 67, was closed in both directions so firefighters had room to work. Much of that traffic was being rerouted through downtown.

I used to spend a lot of time at Riverbend before I moved away from St Louis, very friendly place. I was in there about a month ago on a visit to St Louis. I hope things work out for Terry, he is a great guy.

 

[JAM]

I just got finished reading that myself. This is hot off the press.

What's the room like?

 

[okinawa77]

I hope he's got insurance.....

And it isn't ruled as arson.

I had a friend whose business burned down. It was caused by old wiring in the walls. Her insurance paid her. So, she came out okay.

 

[alstl]

I just got finished reading that myself. This is hot off the press.

What's the room like?

They had a great grill, a lot of people just went there to eat. On weekdays if you bought lunch they had free table time until 7 pm. 16 Valley bar boxes and 5 or 6 gold crowns. I hope Terry can start over in another location, I know a lot of people in that area will miss Riverbend.

 

[Ballou]

saw this article this morning myself, so sorry to see it.
Hope they are able to rebuild and get back up.

 

[cueandcushion]

It had been rumored he was looking to retire and sell the business. Rumored. Its a long road to start all over even WITH a insurance settlement. Especially in this bad economy. I wish him luck with whatever he decides to do.

 

[trustyrusty]

bummer, I stopped in there a few times when I went down to play Spencer T. Olin.....

 

[watchez]

I hope they rebuild. If not, obviously this would be yet another St Louis area room closed.

To watch video of the fire, this building was raging and out of control-
http://gebbsvideo.blogspot.com/2008/12/tragedy-in-alton-riverbend-billiards-on.html

To add to the description of the room, it was a big room that held many local tournaments. Upwards of 90 players at time. The grill was great with all kinds of food and peel and eat shrimp.

Alton is a great rivertown that has gotten some bad press lately. The casino there has revenue that is down 25%. It was the first casino in the area and I can remember waiting to get on board and pay $20 for a 2 hour cruise up and down the river and a chance to gamble.

To read more about Alton and its recent bad rep
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2008...ts-that-haunt-our-favorite-little-river-town/

The home of the Alton giant and also James Earl Ray.

 

[cueandcushion]

The home of the Alton giant and also James Earl Ray.

Alton is a nicer place than their reputation. Lots of small family owned businesses. Great little hole in the wall restaurants and antique shops too. I used to go up there with my ex all the time. I am sure Alton is hurting with the economy. Hopefully people realize that supporting small town businesses is better for everyone than supporting the Walmarts of the world. Places like Riverbend Billiards only survive through long hours and hard work. They should be on everyones list of things to do every Friday or Saturday night. So many pool players complain on here of rooms closing....I just wish people would visit the ones that are still open and thriving. Riverbend was one of the few rooms around that had everything. Good grill, bar tables and 9 foots. I have been a victim of a fire in my past and I know how hard it is to recover both mentally and financially. They are on my mind tonight....

 

[alstl]

I hope they rebuild. If not, obviously this would be yet another St Louis area room closed.

To watch video of the fire, this building was raging and out of control-
http://gebbsvideo.blogspot.com/2008/12/tragedy-in-alton-riverbend-billiards-on.html

To add to the description of the room, it was a big room that held many local tournaments. Upwards of 90 players at time. The grill was great with all kinds of food and peel and eat shrimp.

Alton is a great rivertown that has gotten some bad press lately. The casino there has revenue that is down 25%. It was the first casino in the area and I can remember waiting to get on board and pay $20 for a 2 hour cruise up and down the river and a chance to gamble.

To read more about Alton and its recent bad rep
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2008...ts-that-haunt-our-favorite-little-river-town/

The home of the Alton giant and also James Earl Ray.

I guess I was missing out on all that. The only place I went to in Alton was Riverbend and it was pretty tame. That fire video is hard to watch, I had some good times in that place. I'm not sure how old the building is but it used to be a grocery store before it was Riverbend Billiards.

I stopped in there a couple months ago when I was in St Louis to give somebody who knew Louie a copy of the video of Louie gambling with a guy at Cue and Cushion. It's a shame, that place was home away from home for a lot of people.