Listen to article \u2022\u00a00:00 min<\/p>\n
Center City<\/a>\u2019s tavern landscape is shifting again.<\/p>\n The building housing the shuttered McGlinchey\u2019s Bar is back on the market after a planned sale fell through. Chef-restaurateur Townsend<\/a> \u201cTod\u201d Wentz wants to sell the Hayes, the American tavern he opened in the former Irish Pub building on Walnut Street near 12th. And Cherry Street Tavern<\/a>, another historic watering hole whose owners announced plans to sell earlier this year, appears close to finding a buyer.<\/p>\n The biggest surprise may be McGlinchey\u2019s.<\/p>\n In April, Alterra Property Group confirmed<\/a> that it was under agreement to buy the building at 259 S. 15th St., home to McGlinchey\u2019s for more than 90 years before the dive bar closed in summer 2025<\/a>. But Leo Addimando, Alterra\u2019s cofounder and managing partner, said Wednesday that the company \u201cdecided not to proceed.\u201d<\/p>\n The building is listed<\/a> by Nadia Bilynsky and Dennis Carlisle of MPN Realty at $2.45 million. The offering includes the liquor license, two bars, a stage, a small kitchen, and a shell-condition third floor. The property, which occupies nearly 5,000 square feet, is being marketed as a turnkey bar-restaurant opportunity or a redevelopment site.<\/p>\n A few blocks east, another familiar address is available.<\/p>\n Wentz has listed the Hayes<\/a>, his 268-seat American tavern at 1123 Walnut St., through Veronica Blum and Joe Scarpone at MPN with an asking price of $2.93 million<\/a>. City records show that it sold for $2.3 million in 2019.<\/p>\n Wentz said he intends to keep the restaurant open until a sale.<\/p>\n Wentz said the decision reflects a personal shift after years of expanding his restaurant group with his wife, Gordana Kostovski. \u201cI want to take advantage of the increase in the real estate market,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s time to capitalize on some things and put some money to work elsewhere in my private life.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI just kept opening restaurants instead of buying a shore house or buying a bigger home,\u201d said Wentz, 58. \u201cI don\u2019t want to go into my 60s with that same mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n The Hayes occupies one of Center City\u2019s best-known tavern addresses.<\/p>\n Richard and Catherine Burke opened the Irish Pub there in 1980, bringing with them the concept they had established in Atlantic City<\/a>. For nearly four decades, it was a gathering place for lawyers, police officers, theatergoers, and neighborhood regulars, known for its carved wooden back bar, inexpensive food, and walls covered with framed newspapers and playbills.<\/p>\n When longtime operator Mark O\u2019Connor closed it in July 2019<\/a>, he said he wanted to focus on the second Philadelphia Irish Pub location, at 2007 Walnut St.<\/p>\n Wentz bought 1123 Walnut later that year, briefly opened Pearl Tavern before the pandemic derailed those plans, then renovated the property and reopened it as the Hayes<\/a> in 2023. He owns Oloroso next door as well as Caribou Caf\u00e9 across the street, A Mano<\/a> in Fairmount, and Oltremare<\/a> in Rittenhouse. A sixth restaurant, Townsend on East Passyunk<\/a>, is closed pending repairs from water damage after a fire next door<\/a> in May.<\/p>\n The listing includes the 6,776-square-foot building, restaurant equipment, liquor license, and outdoor seating. The restaurant occupies the first two floors, while the upper levels contain office and unfinished space. The through-block property extends from Walnut Street to Moravian Street.<\/p>\n The Hayes\u2019 listing is the latest chapter in a broader reshaping of Center City\u2019s pub scene. Over the last two decades, Philadelphia has lost a number of big names: Downey\u2019s<\/a> at Front and South Streets closed in 2016 after four decades. Finnigan\u2019s Wake<\/a>, the sprawling multilevel pub at Third and Spring Garden<\/a> Streets, closed in 2014 and is now GoPuff\u2019s headquarters<\/a>. In 2020, the pandemic led to numerous shutdowns<\/a>, such as Manny Brown\u2019s at 512 South St. and the Bards at 2013 Walnut St.<\/p>\n The sister Irish Pub at 2007 Walnut St. also never reopened after the pandemic. Earlier this year, restaurateur Dan Tsao, owner of EMei, purchased the property<\/a> for a future hospitality project. One of the remaining stalwarts, the Black Sheep at 17th and Latimer Streets, was closed by a fire in May<\/a>, though owner James Stephens said he hopes to reopen by Christmas.<\/p>\n