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SAN ANTONIO MAN ... Cover Story Di ERNIEAl.JGB.J ~DiJOSliHtJSIIJN

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He brought Gruene back to life

Highly accomplished men are generally associated with something specific­

corporate success, creativity in the arts, foresight, great discoveries, even civic

conscience. Amazingly, when reflecting on the pe!'SOOal and substantial achieve­

ments of San Antonio'S ~endary (but oh so down-home) Pat M~ak, not 000, but

all of the aboll9 seem applicable,

Yes, somehow over this unique individual's colorlu l, productive and enviable

career, spanning almost four decades and primarily cootered around a formerly

decaying Central Texas community, Molak has managed to amass the aforemen­

tioned accolades by melding preservation and progress with prosperity, resulting

in a lot of welcome, and greatly appreciated, revitalization ... and remarkably

enough, it al l began with an old dance hall. Because of his efforts, to many. he's

considered nothing less than a hero - albeit a "hooky-tonk" hero.

Molak, born, bred and still residing in San Antonio, has spent the majority of

his 65 youthful years doing (on the surface) what most of us would love to be doing

- profrtably running a wOOd-famous musical venue, overseeing mu~iple popular

(and usually packed) eateries, acquiring and appropriately dev~oping valued real

estate and, pemaps most rewarding, spearheading the rescue and restoratkln of

a quaint historical township that, in a rapidly deteriorating condition 40 years ago,

seemed destined forthe dust heap. Couple everything with the fact the he gets to

do it all (weather permitting) while generally wearing w~l-wom but comfortable T­

shirts, shorts and sandals, and can you say cool? Absolutely!

So how did this modern-day mast9f of the laid-back achieve the considerable

business success and obvious personal satisfaction he enjoys today? While cer-

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SAN ANTONO MAN III- Profile

MoIak, In his favorite -'dng cIothu. rttIues wIltI hie; wtfe. Susie. thIoIr dllkIntn. Jake and KatIe, and nto the dog. In addition to Gruene Hall, MoIIk owns and operaIft IIUIJIIHOUa .,.,... _ In Gruene. including ....raurant.. atom and the men:antlle building that la home to 30 dIeIIrs In ~ and coIlectIbIn.

tainly smart, a hard and focused wori<er and

possessed of a visionary spirit, accoo:::l ing to a

somewhat modest Molak, "A lot of the credit

can be attributed to luck." As he remembers,

"For me, it was qu~e simply being at the right

place at the right time, and that was all pure

serendipity. " That "time" was the early 19705

and the "place" a forgotten backwater located

on the beautiful Guadalupe River ~ a place

dubbed Gruene (pronounced "greenj, Texas,

As a 20-something during what became a

culturally transformative time, Molak wasn't par­

ticularly happy, professionally speaking. After a

fun but fairty unproductive stint at the University

of Texas in Austin (eventually leaving without a

degree) f~1owed by an unsatisfying and thank­

fully brief job as a liceosed stockbroker, the antsy

young man, who even then preferroo wearing

shorts and Ts, just hadn't found his passion.

But he knew what he liked. In those heady

years, Texas, and especially Austin, wert! under­

going an unprecedented good-ol'-boy music

renaissance led by the likes of Willie, Waylon

and Jerry Jeff and fueled primarily by Lone Star

Beer. Molak, something of a party animal him­

self, who frequently enjoyed "stepping out" into

the Austin scene. took note.

Fired by all of the Texas-chic cultura l ac­

tivity, Molak decided he wanted to get in on

the action, not just as a consuming participant

but rather on the commercial side. To that

end, he, with no previous experience in the

hospitality business and not much hard cash

either, began a relenlless search to acquire a

genuine Texas bar and dance hall. When

queried why he was looking for this kind of in­

vestment property, Molak responds, "Because

these types of places were going great guns

18 .JUN EI.JULY 2013

and, more importantly, being a Texan. it

looked like something I'd like." After several

disappointin9 visits to various available estab­

lishments, Lady l uck smiled. In 1974 a friend

took him to the remnants o f the old German

community of Gn.lene, located a few undevel­

oped miles north of New Braunfels.

It was there that he found, among the semi­

deserted buildings and stOl"efronts, the barely

operating Gruene bar with a spacious shuttered

dance hall out back. While others with a lot more

bu$Jness savvy might have walked away, for

Moiak -acting 00 pure instinct - the old buikl-

ing with ~s undeniable charm (not to mention

the area's proximity to the college towns of

Austin and San Marcos with their large student

populations) represented potential and oppor-

tunity. He was smitten.

Eagerly closing the deal with a loan from

his supportive but skeptical father, Molak took

possession in January 1975. Following a mod­

est amount of renovation - mainly just clean­

ing the place out and upgrading the elect rical

system ~ a revita lized Gruene Hall, with its

historical integrity intact, reopened later that

year. At the beginning, there were two employ-

ees, Molak and a bartender. But by spring, the

first band took the stage, and the crowds soon

followed. Molak's experiment quickly proved to

be a success, and as legions of fans from

across the state and beyond can attest, the

joint's been rock in' ever since.

Over the years Gruene Hall has earned its

well-deseJVed legendary status by showcasing

the very best in current and future stars, all pre-

" Plans are in the works for not changing

a thing! "

sented in its primitive but welcoming, cozy and

unpretentious atmosphere. It's a combination

that, as the proprietor proudly states. "has been

well received - by the talent and the publ ic. "

And somewhat uniquely. the music thaI Molak

personally brings to his hall crosses all genres.

tastes and beats. Will ie Nelson, George Strait,

Lit tle Richard, Leon Russell, Albert Collins,

Hootie and the Blowfish and many other greats

and near-greats have graced the archaic stage.

The future will no doubt prove to be as diverse.

Anyway, folks have always loved the music and

the ambience, and as almost any recent night's

gate will attest, they still do. As Molak smi lingly

volunteers, "Plans are in the works for not

changing a thing' "

With Gruene Hall prospering - thanks in

part to Molak's knack for find ing (and keeping)

wonderful and gifted co-workers - his sights

turned toward greater Gruene. Of the 25·acre

footprint (15 of it now designated as a National

Historical District). Molak owns 23. His second

project was the refurbishing of the old, mostly

burned cotton gin. This structure, overlooking

the scenic riverlront. became today's acclaimed

Gristmill River Restaurant & Bar. He and long­

time partner Mary Jane Nalley opened the es­

tablishment (again with little or no experience

s..<>.N ANTON IO M A N III> Profile

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SAN ANTONIO MAN II> Profile

running 8 restaul'8lll) in 1977, initially sel6ng

beer and burgers out of a tiny kitchen.

Today, It is renowned fO( its extensive

menu featurin9 many traditional South

Texas lavorites bolslered by an equally im­

pressive wine and beer list. It can, and often

does, accommodate up to 800 dil"lfll"S com­

fortably. Multiple o ther Molak-owned and

operated (or leased) retail and service busi­

nesses have subsequently blossomed over

the years utilizin9 other existing buildings

(see the sidebar). Reflecting his commit­

ment to preservation, all of these structures,

ir"ICtudlng the iconic water tower, have been

carefully restored to period exactness. Most

have received recogni tion from the Texas

Historical Commission, something of which

he is justifiably proud. In 1990, he was even

recognized with a proclamation from the

Texas Senate for his efforts.

While preserving and protecting Gruene

will always remain Molak's primary focus,

other challenges beckoned the reslless en­

trepreneur. Most notable is his popular,

somewhat earthy San Antonio eatery, the

Josephine Street Cafe. Established in 1979

to init ially offset Gruene Hall's slower (and

lower cash flow) winter season, the cafe

continuas to pack 'em in daily. To his credit

also is the 410 Diner, now leased to an­

other operator.

When looking back over his productive

and profitable career as a successful devel­

oper, booking agent, restaurateur, historical

restorer and barkeep, Molak again and

again reflects on hiS "good luck." But to any

and all who have had the pleasure of visiting

Gruene - two-stepping at the hall, dining at

one of the restaurants, shopping, tubing the

river or just escaping briefly from big city

pressures - it all becomes obvious that il

wasn't solely providence that's kept Gruene

real. It was, still is and will continue to be,

Pat MoIak, a true Texes honky-tonk hero!

ao JUNEI.JULY 2013