Tom Sweeney, counting money thrown into the Texas flag during the Pride parade in 1993.
The remains of The Round-Up Saloon after the 1989 fire
Tom Sweeney, original owner of the Round-Up Saloon, died this week. The bar opened July 11, 1980. Current owners Alan Pierce and Gary Miller bought it from Sweeney in 1998.
Sweeney began the bar’s tradition in 1987 of carrying the giant Texas flag in the Pride parade used to collect money that was donated to AIDS organizations.
In 1989, a fire at the Dallas Gay Alliance office, which was next door to the Round-Up, destroyed the DGA office, the Round-Up and TapeLenders. The bar reopened in its current location in the summer of 1990.
Sweeney moved the club to Maple Avenue for a year to a building that was most recently The Brick before being razed a year ago. He rebuilt the club on Cedar Springs Road in its original location.
After selling the club, Sweeney moved to Norman, Okla., to be near his sister, Patsy. The funeral is today.
Watch a video below about the 30-year history of the Round-Up Saloon:
