Pipin’s Pub is not being demolished, as Gothamist reported, owner Steve Oliver confirmed to Hey Ridge last week. Fans of the brick-and-fireplace pub (9701 Third Avenue) will find solace in the fact that, though it will close for at least a year while a developer builds a condo building with 15 to 20 units around and above the Pipin’s space, the bar will reopen looking much like its old self. “We hope to keep the feel as close to the original Pipin’s as possible,” Oliver told us. Pipin’s will use the year to renovate, using an additional 400 square feet perhaps to expand the kitchen or bathrooms, though the floor plan is nowhere near finalized.
Oliver is making the best of the situation; he called the decision to close–again, just for one year–“bittersweet.” Originally, Pipin’s would not have been touched by the developer, and it would have had to close for only one or two months while major construction took place around it. But then an orthopedic office two doors down on Third Avenue sold its air rights, allowing the developer to build not just around Pipin’s but also above it. At that point, Oliver said his best option was to “become a part of the project.”
“The project got bigger than us,” he said.
In short, Pipin’s will prevail–and avoid the certain curses that befall a restaurant located in a space that’s under construction (i.e., vermin, dust, and too many construction workers at your bar). Yes, we will miss the fireplace, dark wood, and the grouchy patrons—for a year. But, Oliver said, the same menus, and maybe even a few more beers on tap, will be waiting for us on the other side.
talking to an employee yesterday, it sounded like it will be demolished and pipins’ owners are buying a portion of the building on the corner to continue business when the project is complete. It doesnt make sense to ‘not’ demolish after the property was already sold to the developers no?
place will close in august
The sale of air rights 2 lots away allowed construction over the corner Pipin’s? That does not make any sense. The owner of the Pipin’s was probably offered a purchase deal too good to refuse by the developer. Plus, there are zoning benefits and apartment layout advantages to having a full corner lot.