Demolition permits pulled for original 12 Bones in Asheville River Arts District

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Demolition permits have been pulled to remove the beloved original Riverside Drive building of 12 Bones Smokehouse in the Asheville River Arts District.

The restaurant opened in 2005 and fed hungry admirers (including former President Barack Obama) of its barbecue ribs and pulled pork. Earlier this year, the restaurant opened in a new location just north up Lyman Street in The Foundation.

The restaurant was forced to move as part of a multi-million dollar infrastructure project that will realign Riverside Drive through a portion of the property. .

12 Bones opened in 2005 and quickly skyrocketed to fame after winning a Good Morning America national competition for one of its recipes, a blueberry-chipotle barbecue sauce. Then, in 2008, then Sen. Barack Obama stopped in to dine as he was campaigning for election. Then Obama came back. And then he talked about his love of 12 Bones.

In 2008, then-Sen. Barack Obama stopped by 12 Bones when he was on the campaign trail. That visit cemented 12 Bones fame. But Obama wasn’t done. As President, Obama visited the restaurant in 2010 when he and the First Lady vacationed here. And in 2013, when Obama stopped in Asheville to talk jobs, he again mentioned his love of 12 Bones.

Here’s my first blog post about 12 Bones, from way back in 2005.

One additional note regarding demolition and the infrastructure project: demolition permits have also been pulled for the old red warehouse at the intersection of Riverside Drive and Haywood Street at the Smith Bridge.