Last Call At Nevin's Pub: Beloved Evanston Bar Closes For Good

EVANSTON, IL — Everything must go from Tommy Nevin's Pub on the final night of its 27-year history on Sherman Avenue. And this time, the stuff inside is actually for sale. Plus, there'll be performances from Trinity Irish Dancers at 6:30 p.m. and a live show from 9 p.m. to midnight from the band Mulligan's Stew.

For Thursday's pub closing party, there's a $15 entry fee and all drinks are $1.

"So we’re probably going to have to cut off a whole bunch of people," says Bar Manager Brian Davenport.

The party and close-out sale starts at 5 p.m. and includes all of the bar's memorabilia, furniture, pots, pans, lighting fixtures and anything else. (Basically, everything Northwestern University students tried to loot two weeks ago and more will be for sale.)

"You walk in, you see something, you ask the guy about it, you make a bid, it’s probably yours. First come, first serve," Davenport said. "Almost everything is up for grabs."

Anyone who is still in possession of any items stolen from the bar will be offered a limited amnesty if they return items taken – no questions asked, no charges filed – police and Nevin's management said.

The closing of the pub, an Evanston institution, was first announced during the public comment period of the Nov. 13 City Council meeting.

Later in the meeting, alderman approved a plan to build a 15-story mixed-use tower atop its location, but owner Rohit Sahajpal said he had been trying unsuccessfully to sell the land for years and was planning on closing anyway.

Tommy Nevin's opened on Sherman in 1990 and was purchased by Irish Pubs LLC in 2003, according to the company's website.

The company's CEO told Patch the outpouring of support from town was fantastic.

"There was a lot of emotion," Ed Carella said. "The community felt very strongly about Tommy Nevin's and what it meant...It has made us feel very good that we have had a place in the heart of so many Evanstonians."

For Davenport, who's worked at Nevin's since he moved to Chicago after graduating college in 2011, the past two weeks have been tough.

"I’ve been talking about this with everyone all the time for two weeks straight, and they’re sad, and I’m sad. It is a draining thing," he told Patch. "I’m going to do my level best to savor every part of it."

Related:

• 'It Was Chaos' As NU Students Engage In Mass Looting At Nevin's
  
• Last Call At Nevin's Pub Set For Nov. 30

_{Top photo: Tommy Nevin's Pub, October 2016 | Google Street View}