When the Bier Stube will close as apartment building moves ahead

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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- A decades-old dive bar just south of Ohio State University is shutting its doors next month after nearly 60 years in business.

The Bier Stube will cease operations at the end of September to make way for a 13-story high rise apartment building. The bar, located at 1479 N. High St., opened in 1966.

The proposed development also requires the demolition of several other businesses: 14-0 Express carryout, Portofino's Pizza and Yau's Chinese Bistro. However, none of these three have announced closing online as of Tuesday.

In a social media announcement, Bier Stube owner Craig Kempton said he plans to close after the weekend of Sept. 21 in order to clear out the building before an Oct. 1 deadline.

"I'm so sorry I couldn't save the Stube," Kempton wrote.

The new building, which will sit on the corner of West 9th and North High Streets, will be made with structural timber, commonly known as "mass timber." Mass timber weights less than both steel and concrete, and is typically quicker to build with. The project has seen success at board meetings all year, and the Bier Stube's recent announcement indicates a green light for what would be Columbus' first large mass timber building.

The new apartment building will have 183 units, according to a July University District Review Board presentation. The project has also requested two variations from zoning codes: permission to build above the usual 72-foot height limit for a 157-and-a-half-foot building and to not have to build parking space for the residential building.

According to construction plans, the building would have bike storage, a cafe and study, lounge and fitness areas on its first floor. Its second would include a library, game area and various outdoor spaces as well, including a central courtyard.

The announcement was met with remorse online, as many familiar with the establishment are mourning its closing as the end of another nostalgic Columbus bar to make way for developmental projects. Comments flooded the Facebook announcement with memories of pinball, carved up wooden tables, a familiar jukebox and one repeated phrase: "Long live the Bier Stube."