Town Pump Tavern to close and re-open in Centaur Bar space

Melody Baetens
The Detroit News
File photo of the Centaur Bar from 2005.

More than two decades of rooting on local teams, pints of beer and shared plates of bar-friendly appetizers will come to an end at 100 W. Montcalm when the Town Pump closes. 

The last hurrah for this casual pub, known for its posh-looking exterior with green ivy covering the facade, is a party on Jan. 12 at 4 p.m. 

But the staff, vibe and Town Pump name is just moving just across the street to where Centaur Bar is, says Pump manager Ryan Martin. Centaur and Town Pump are both owned by Sean Harrington, but the building the Town Pump is in, Park Avenue House, has been sold. 

"We're remodeling Centaur right now, there'll be a menu roll out ... a new pizza bar being built," he said. "It's really art deco over there now so we're going to change it into a pub feel again." 

The Centaur Bar — a multi-level cocktail lounge at 2233 Park that opened just before Super Bowl XL came to Detroit — has been dark for a few months. A social media post in early September explained the bar was "temporarily closed do to staffing issues." 

Martin said they hope to reopen the Town Pump in the Centaur space before February. He adds that the pool table at Centaur will stay, and they're building a stage. 

The Town Pump Tavern opened on St. Patrick's Day of 1997, according to Detroit News archives. Around the same time construction for Comerica Park started, then restaurant critic Jane Rayburn wrote that the English-style pub was "a catalyst for the resurging Foxtown area." 

mbaetens@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @melodybaetens