Charles Village Pub to be Demolished in Mid-April

, which was destroyed by a January kitchen fire, will be demolished between Saturday, April 16, and Sunday, April 17, a co-owner said.

Originally scheduled for March, the demolition has been delayed twice. The first delay was caused by nearby restaurant and business owners who were concerned about closing the typically busy West Pennsylvania Avenue on a Friday night. Crews later agreed to work to minimize necessary road closures.

The second scheduled demolition was called off when a contractor found a gas line still connected to the building.

However, co-owner Melanie Wagner said the demolition is now on schedule.

Charles Village Pub was that spread to the roof on Jan. 29. Many former patrons of the bar, a favorite among college students, reached out to show their support. The owners the pub later this year.

Until then, Wagner is currently working out of a rented office across the street in 24 West Pennsylvania Ave., next door to . A banner over the office calls Charles Village Pub "the HOTTEST bar in Towson." Wagner said it takes some visitors a little while to get the joke.

"We figure we might as well laugh at ourselves, too," she said. "We did a lot of crying and then we tried to get over it."

A recent bill in the General Assembly would give the pub extra time to rebuild without risking their liquor license. The emergency bill, sponsored by Sen. Kathy Klausmeier, would grant extensions to liquor license holders who lose business as a result of a fire or property damage. Wagner said the pub didn't lobby for it, but the owners are grateful.

"I didn't know anything about that," she said. "Thank God our lawyer did."