Since its debut in 1972, Sanctuary Pub has become as much a part of Iowa City’s cultural fabric as the Ped Mall, est. 1979. At least among locals, Sanctuary is as well-known for its intimate performances and literary events as its pizza, burgers and wide selection of beer on tap.
The venue’s familiar facade is still there, but the business closed in December. Signs from the building’s owner Tracy Barkalow advertising the space on S Gilbert Street for lease are in its windows.
“This turnkey restaurant/bar has been in Iowa City for decades!” Barkalow and Associates said in a Dec. 19 post on the company’s Facebook page. “This is a one of [a] kind opportunity like no other in Iowa City. Find yourself stepping into a piece of local history in this really cool bar.”
The Sanctuary Pub was started on a shoe-string budget more than half a century ago by Nick Perret and Robert Nicholas, with Marc Kron as their silent partner. Nicholas and Kron were recent City High grads, and Perret, who had graduated early from University High, had started attending the University of Iowa. All three were too young to hold the licenses needed to run a bar, so the licenses were all in Perret’s older brother’s name at first, Nick Perret told Little Village in an email.
Two years after the Sanctuary opened, Daryl Woodson became a part-owner of the pub.
“I hung out here and I liked the place,” Woodson told the Press-Citizen‘s Mitchell Schmidt in 2012 as the Sanctuary marked 40 years in business. “I saw a lot of potential, and I loved the building.”
Woodson had moved to Iowa City from his home in Illinois to study journalism at the University of Iowa. But it was at the Sanctuary where Woodson found his calling. He eventually became the pub’s sole proprietor, and owned it until 2017.
“We try to differentiate ourselves from the typical four taps of light beers and 27 flat screen televisions showing every sports show. In fact, we don’t even own a television,” Woodson told Schmidt in 2012. “It’s a place for adults of a variety of ages to come. It’s a place that tends to lend itself more to conversation than mindlessly cheering on whatever team you’re cheering on.”
Woodson wasn’t opposed to evolving, even after the Sanctuary became a pillar of the Iowa City restaurant and bar scene.
“You’ve got to make all the changes sort of fit in with what you’re doing, fit in with the feel,” he said. “Part of it is trying to have some sort of consistency.”
TV did arrive at the Sanctuary after Woodson sold it in 2017, but the place maintained most of its unique atmosphere.
“Pile into a corner booth on Sunday for half-price pizzas, snuggle up by the fire and catch some live local music, or bring the whole gang for an intimate evening in the Red Room,” Celine Robins wrote in LV’s 2022 Bread and Butter dining guide. “Whatever your pleasure, Sanctuary’s vibe is right.”
Following renovations and branding changes last year by the most recent owners of the pub, there was a lot of discontent on social media with some Sanctuary fans saying the changes had gone too far and the pub was becoming just another standard-issue Iowa City bar. In a July 6 Facebook post, the owners pushed back against the criticism and tried to reassure patrons.
“Sanctuary is open for business with new furniture in the red room and brand new coolers are being installed…” the post said. “To set the record straight — we ARE NOT turning into a sports bar. We remain Iowa City’s beloved venue for great food and drinks, live music and special events.”
There was no announcement of the Sanctuary’s closing posted online, beyond the real estate listing by the building’s owner Tracy Barkalow.
“What started out as ‘the least objectionable way to earn a living’ turned into a long fun ride,” Daryl Woodson wrote on Facebook in December 2017 when he announced he was selling the Sanctuary.
He said that after 43 years at the pub, “arthritis is making it difficult to even hold a beer glass, let alone pour a good stiff drink.” He added, “Everyone needs to know when it’s time to go (now if we could just convince Trump).”
That last part may seem uncomfortably ironic now, since Donald Trump is returning as president again later this month, but the Sanctuary is gone. Whether some version of it will return is uncertain.
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story described all three of the Sanctuary’s founders as City High graduates, but only two of them went to City High. Nick Perret attended and graduated from University High School.
