The Park House, North Side watering hole and home to bluegrass jams, is for sale

The Park House, a North Side fixture for decades and a longstanding spot for live bluegrass, is up for sale.

The East Ohio Street watering hole has been owned for 16 years by Zamir Zahavi, who said in a statement he is looking ahead to new adventures but hopes someone carries on the Park House’s tradition.

“Being a part of this community for all these years has been so rewarding,” he said. “I really hope that the legacy of Park House will carry on under new ownership.”

Specialty Group, a restaurant services firm, began marketing the business last week. Broker Terri Sokoloff called the bar “an attractive investment,” citing its location within the East Ohio Street business district and proximity to the North Shore.

For Joe Dep, a member of the Shelf Life String Band, his love affair with the Park House began long before he was performing there on what would become the bar’s iconic bluegrass nights.

“When I turned 21, the first bar I went to was the Park House,” said Dep, now 34. “I was a patron before I ever started playing there.”

The band formed in 2007. Its regular Park House gigs helped bring about Wednesday night bluegrass night, growing from humble jam sessions to weekly performances that pack the small bar.

For years, Dep said, bluegrass night drew patrons from all walks of life. It became more than just a weekly bar event, he said.

“It gave the neighborhood something special, and it gave the people in the neighborhood something special to look forward to,” he said.

The business is listed on Specialty Group’s website for $195,000. The nearly 2,200-square-foot space has seating for around 50 and comes with its liquor license, fixtures, furniture and equipment, including a 10-tap glycol system.

The Park House bills itself as the oldest bar in Pittsburgh, noting its beginnings as home to Allegheny County Jail Deputy Warden James Marshall in the late 1800s and its survival of Prohibition. For those 13 dry years, it housed a bakery and candy shop, according to its website.

The history, Dep said, is palpable.

“There’s a lot of history in the building,” he said. “[Penguins broadcaster] Mike Lange used to hang out there, the Pens used to hang out there — you knew whenever you were in there it was a special place.”