Manuel’s Tavern Will Close For Major Renovation Sunday
Manuel’s Tavern will be closing for three to four months after Dec. 27.
Fans of Manuel’s Tavern have just a few more days to enjoy its aging wooden booths and storied walls before it closes for a major renovation on Sunday, Dec. 27.
The update, expected to last three to four months, is part of a deal with Green Street Properties. The developer bought the land the bar sits on earlier this year.
Brian Maloof, the owner and son of the bar’s founder, Manuel Maloof, said he has been working with Green Street to preserve the character and charm of the neighborhood bar during the upgrade.
“I’ve got to be real careful and we’re trying our best to do that,” Maloof said.
Many of the changes, Maloof said, will not be all that noticeable to the average attendee. Entryways will be updated to be handicap accessible and the restrooms will be improved, though Maloof says he expects that will actually be exciting news for many customers.
While Maloof says the exterior of the Manuel’s Tavern building will stay the same, other aspects of the renovation deal will have an impact on the Poncey Highland block.
Green Street plans to build a mixed-use development in the parking lot next door. Also, Manuel’s is giving up 2,000 square feet inside its building, which includes the North Avenue room, so that Green Street can lease spaces for two new businesses.
The bar will able to make up for the loss in seating by taking advantage of existing storage space, Maloof says, and adding an outdoor patio.
For those wanting to visit Manuel’s Tavern before the temporary closure, the bar’s last days of normal business are Dec. 23, 26 and 27. It will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas. Already, Maloof says, the bar is full of people recording the tavern’s final pre-renovation days.
“They’ve got camcorders, videotaping it, taking pictures of themselves standing at the bar,” Maloof says. “A lot of selfies being shot in there.”
