Is the Boylan Bridge Brewpub open? Go by and see for yourself

Anyone who’s interested in going to the Boylan Bridge Brewpub may have to just go by to see if it’s open.

The brewpub, known for its view of the downtown Raleigh skyline, has been closed since a basement wall collapsed Feb. 10, 2016. It’s about a week away from re-opening, owner Andrew Leager said Thursday.

But don’t ask him for a specific date.

“I’ve been wrong every time so far,” Leager said. “We’re very close to opening.”

The brewpub opened about eight years ago at the corner of South Boylan Avenue and West Hargett Street.

A leaky basement sprinkler caused a load-bearing wall to collapse last year under the popular outdoor patio. Leager had to replace the wooden deck patio to fix the wall and install a new sprinkler line.

He said he’s also adding a fireplace and making changes to the kitchen, installing a new floor and re-arranging the cooking line to streamline service.

Leager had hoped to re-open in March, but said it’s taken longer than he expected for the health and building inspectors to OK the structure.

“We’ve had lots of false starts,” he said.

Leager doesn’t know which day the brewpub will re-open, and he doesn’t plan to throw a big party because he doesn’t want to overwhelm his staff. He plans to re-open with a limited menu.

How will people know when the brewpub is ready for business? By keeping their eyes and ears open.

“We’ll just turn on the lights and have people standing around, waiting for orders,” Leager said. “People may just have to drive by and see if the lights are on.”

This story was originally published April 13, 2017 at 3:40 PM with the headline "Is the Boylan Bridge Brewpub open? Go by and see for yourself."