Eric Gunn, owner of The Union, is unsure when the bar will reopen after closing from a fire in November 2014.
Kellie Hill would often pretend to be a member of her boyfriend’s band in order to get into The Union Bar & Grill without being charged admission.
Prior to the Union Street fire in November 2014, the bar had been a hub to many touring bands and provided an alternative music scene in Athens.
“I could always get in there and, like, have a good time so that was really the only bar I ever went to until I turned 21,” Hill, a senior studying geography, said. “I never got to experience The Union being of age.”
The Union, formerly located at 18 W. Union St., had been around for about 70 years and many say its closing has created a gap in Athens’ culture.
Athens City Councilman Jeff Risner, D-2nd Ward, said the bar is a landmark that many students and residents used to frequent and enjoy.
“It’s kind of something that’s been very familiar to everyone and it’s been hurt,” Risner said. “We would like to see it healed up and back and running again.”
Athens City Council approved an ordinance in March 2015 to designate the buildings affected by the fire as a “historic district” so the owners could apply for tax credits to help pay for reconstruction efforts, according to a previous Post report.
Eric Gunn, owner of The Union, said he has no plans to keep the bar’s reopening date a secret from the community. But due to the need to process permits and construct additions, among other formalities, he is unsure when that date may be.
“As soon as we know, we will let the world know,” Gunn said. “Then we’ll look forward to throwing one hell of a party.”
Gunn also said even though The Union will essentially be a new bar, it will still feel familiar to long-time customers.
The new bar will feature scorched roof joists, which Gunn said dates back nearly 160 years, from the previous structure that were able to be repurposed after the fire.
“It’s the type of wood that you couldn’t go buy it if you wanted to. It’s of an old-growth wood that was around in these parts 150 years ago but is not around anymore,” he said. “You can’t go to Lowe’s and buy it, so part of it was just how cool it is. … Not as any sort of grand gesture.”
Gunn also recognizes the nostalgia surrounding the black and white checkered tiles that served as a dance floor when bands performed on the second story. A similar black and white floor has been put in its place.
“We are trying to put as much of the old Union into the place to have some of that good mojo from all those years of rock n’ roll that went on upstairs and probably all of the craziness that went on before that when it was a hotel and housing for people,” Gunn said.
Several additions have also come to The Union’s facade as a result of the fire, including a new patio and upgraded windows.
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“It’s always awesome to sit outside and have a drink and talk to your friends and it’s having music upstairs, the regular bar downstairs and then an outdoor space just gives it another environment and a place to have a beer,” he said.
Renovations are not yet complete, but Gunn said he prefers to keep some of them a secret until the bar reopens. He declined to say how much has been spent on remodeling at this time.
“I feel like I’m going to walk in there like, ‘Yes, this is tight... I feel like I’m just right back in at home,’ ” Hill said. “I’m excited and I think it’s going to feel exactly how it was before, which is awesome.”
Hill also said she is looking forward to going to the reopening with her friends.
“I haven’t experienced anything like The Union in Athens,” she said. “I’ve been to bars in Columbus like The Union, but there’s no place like it really.”
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