Rennovations close Manuel’s Tavern
“We’re going to head out there and you’re going to have to tell me not to keep things,” owner Brian Maloof says with a laugh. With Manuel’s Tavern downsizing, Maloof (right) and his employees must decide which pieces of memorabilia are personal enough to remain on the walls.
February 10, 2016
The tinkle of breaking glass rang out in the quiet, dim rooms of Manuel’s Tavern. Brian Maloof, owner of the family run tavern for decades, winces. A drawn out silence follows. “Well, there’s a piece of memorabilia we don’t have any more,” he says with a sad smile.
Memorabilia coats the walls of Manuel’s Tavern, owner Brian Maloof estimating over 1,000 separate pieces in total. Students from the Emory University Center for Digital Scholarship document this memorabilia with high resolution photos in a virtual walk through of the tavern, the project called Unpacking Manuel’s Tavern.
Manuel’s Tavern, an Atlanta bar and restaurant for over 60 years, sits in an 108 year old building on the corner of North and North Highland Ave. Maloof notes the tavern holds more than just historical value in the community.
“What makes Manuel’s unique is that we’re a political bar,” he said. “We were the closest drink for professors and Emory students.”
A host to community activists and political groups, blogs erupted in confusion after Maloof announced Manuel’s closed on Dec. 27, 2015 for renovations and to make way for another mixed use development (MUD) in Atlanta.
Maloof assures that is not the full story. With infrastructure, access and safety issues, the century old building cannot house the tavern without serious renovations.
The tavern will open again in approximately four months, and Maloof clarified this is not a typical developer-buys-out-owner situation.
To preserve the historical value of Manuel’s Tavern, Maloof partnered with Green Street Properties. Green Street worked on Glenwood Park and Ponce City Market, these developers committed to highlighting history not tearing it down.
Katharine Kelley, co founder and owner of Green Street, expressed her company feels well suited for the project. Green Street is even pushing for Manuel’s to be added to the National Registry of Historic Places.
“We very much resonate with wanting to keep the historic aspects of the building, that’s very important to us because that’s the real heart and soul of the property,” she says. “We think the world of Brian and his team so it’s very important.”
Bill McCloskey, having worked at Manuel’s Tavern for 43 years, excitedly reminisces over vintage derby glasses and antique cash registers while packing.
“There are a lot of good memories,” he says with a smile. “Everything means something.”
Kelley explained renovations of the 10,000 square foot building will include electrical, heating and cooling, plumbing, accessibility and fire safety updates.
Of the three parcels of land Green Street is buying, the North parcel is where Manuel’s resides. Plans include 2,000 square feet of retail storefronts on this parcel, leaving 8,000 square feet to remain Manuel’s Tavern. Maloof will continue leasing the property.
The south parcel, currently a parking lot, will house the MUD. The MUD targets creative offices with multifamily units above opposed to retail. Construction will begin near the end of 2016.
The remaining parking lot will be repaved and restriped.
Kelley understands the community might feel uneasy about development, but assures the character of Manuel’s Tavern is not going away.
“I think there is always the fear of the unknown,” she said. “We’re going to do everything we can to uphold that character while doing what we hope will allow the building to go on for the next generation.”Mayah Kirson
