After 45 years in Fort Worth’s Cultural District, J&J Oyster Bar is getting ready to call it a day. The casual seafood mainstay will close on Saturday, May 30, ending a run that made it a go-to spot for laid-back oysters and cold drinks. Its star attraction, however, is not retiring. The 12½-foot fiberglass longhorn with the 7½-foot horn span that has loomed over the entrance for decades is headed to a new home at Fred’s Texas Cafe’s Camp Bowie West location, giving longtime regulars at least one familiar face to visit.
The Longhorn Is Headed West
The longhorn statue, part of a series created for a 2001 public-art rollout, is set to move to Fred’s flagship at 7101 Camp Bowie Blvd. West, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Sculptor Johnny Pate designed the bulls, and Mineral Wells-based Associated Fiberglass fabricated them as part of Fort Worth’s BulLovArts project. This particular bull has held its ground outside J&J for roughly 25 years, its oversized horns turning it into an easy landmark and a favorite photo backdrop.
J&J’s Last Days and Neighborhood Memory
Owner Jim Schusler has confirmed that J&J will close at the end of May after a 45-year run, a decision covered by local media and traded among longtime diners as a shared bit of bad news. Fort Worth Digital Diary and the restaurant’s own site, J&J Oyster Bar, note that the restaurant at 612 University Drive traces its roots back to the late 1970s. Its closure marks another shift in the Cultural District, where new development has already reshaped several blocks in recent years.
Fred’s Wanted the Bull to Stay in Fort Worth
Fred’s co-owner, Quincy Wallace, was not interested in seeing the longhorn shipped off to some far-flung buyer. He said he “didn’t want to see it leave Fort Worth” and that taking the statue “just felt right,” comments reported in local coverage of the deal. According to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the bull will be installed at Fred’s Camp Bowie West flagship in the coming weeks. Fred’s lists 7101 Camp Bowie West as its flagship location on the company’s site, making that address the longhorn’s next perch.
Small Public-Art Project, Big Local Attachment
The BulLovArts bulls, not unlike the moose in Toronto or the flamingos in Miami, grew into a quirky slice of Fort Worth’s public-art identity and a familiar citywide photo op. Fort Worth Weekly recently looked back on J&J in its summer guide, recalling how the restaurant’s lean, beach-town-style menu and unfussy vibe became woven into the city’s cultural life. The counters at 612 University Drive will soon go quiet, but the longhorn’s move means at least one very large piece of that neighborhood history will stay visible in Fort Worth for years to come.
