Clever Dunne’s, Capitol Hill’s ‘Irish House,’ to close at end of month

(Image: CHS)

(Image: CHS)

2017 is shaping up to be a sad year for the neighborhood bars of E Howell. Wednesday night, the staff and management of Clever Dunne’s are telling regulars the bad news. At the end of January, the Capitol Hill Irish pub will close.

“It came quick,” Dunne’s manager Jared Thomson tells CHS. “We knew things were happening but not like this.”

Thomson said Clever Dunne’s had another two years on its lease but the pub’s deal has been bought out and the drinking spot needs to be shut down and moved out by January 31st. Continue reading

Enjoy the Annapurnas and The Redwoods you know and love… 2017 is coming

In this week of regrets and coulda, woulda, shouldas, here is an opportunity to get ahead of the sadness and enjoy some of your favorite things before… well, things change.

Two design reviews being planned for the start of 2017 have big implications for two Capitol Hill small businesses that have grown into neighborhood favorites.

First, on January 11th, the first review is planned for the seven-story apartment building slated to replace the block where The Redwood stands today.

Two weeks later, subterranean Broadway eatery Annapurna and its street-level Yeti Bar will watch as the six-story mixed-use project set to replace its home gets its first review.

Both procedural events will start the clock ticking on the end as we know it for the popular neighborhood joints. You will have at least a year for the design review process to play out and typically several more months for the demolition and construction permits to be lined up. Continue reading

Capitol Hill’s Redwood bar still stands

Eventually Capitol Hill’s Redwood may be branching out to a new location outside of Seattle, but for now it is still standing at its home of more than 10 years at Howell and Belmont.

Bar owners Lisa and Mat Brooke, a former member of the rock band Band of Horses, signed another six-month lease in May as plans to demolish the building and construct apartments continue to be delayed.

“As awful as it all is … I’m glad they’re actually working with us,” Lisa said about the developers who are keeping them updated. Continue reading