Manuel's Tavern Renovation Should Be Complete by July

With May almost here and and the building still very much a construction site, that initial "early 2016" target for a Manuel's Tavern reopening obviously isn't going to happen. But, the beloved watering hole does have a new, specific goal in sight. In a Facebook post, owner Brian Maloof said construction will be complete on July 22. Look for Manuel's to begin pouring again shortly thereafter.

The big renovation was first announced in February 2015. Maloof, son of the bar's founder and namesake, sold the Manuel's building to Green Street Properties, and the developer is planning a mixed-use project that will surround the the bar that Manuel Maloof first opened in 1956. Manuel's closed its doors on December 27.

Brian Maloof has been proactive in keeping regulars updated on the renovation's progress by posting photos on Facebook. Ever since the plans were revealed, he, along with Green Street and recent investor Selig Enterprises, has consistently reassured nervous Atlantans who have worried the bar would lose its historic charm. The work is supposed to improve infrastructure and bring the building up to code, not affect Manuel's ambiance.

"An archivist will photograph the walls, the bars, and the various rooms to document the look and location of art works, photographs, mementoes, and even the beer cans that have decorated Manuel's for many years," Maloof said last year. "Key memorabilia will be cleaned and restored. We may even preserve some dust. ... Green Street Properties brought a different plan to the table. They don't want to scrape and clear our property. They want to preserve it."

Once the renovation is complete, Manuel's will lose about 2,000 square feet of interior room, which will become a new retail space, and it will add al fresco seating on a patio. The new mixed-use development will include parking, retail, and 71 apartments.