Crews are tearing into the former Junior’s Bar & Grill at 234 King Ave. as the space is refitted for the Bier Stube, and fresh progress photos show a roomier layout and new finishes where the Stube’s wood-paneled walls once stood. Owner Craig Kempton has been posting updates and salvaging fixtures from the old bar so he can reassemble as much of the Stube’s character as possible in the new footprint. For longtime Buckeye regulars, the rebuild is a hopeful sign that one of the neighborhood’s most durable haunts is on its way back near campus.
Renovations and the New Home on King Avenue
Work is underway at 234 King Ave., where Kempton signed a lease to convert the former Junior’s into a larger Bier Stube. The new layout is set to include a broad open patio and a footprint that is substantially bigger than the old North High Street location, according to local coverage. The Columbus Dispatch reports Kempton signed the lease in 2025 and had hoped at one point to reopen by late December, a timetable that has since slipped as crews continue the buildout. City records also show a liquor-permit transfer and related filings that list Bier Stube at the King Avenue address, confirming the move is progressing through official channels, according to the City of Columbus agenda.
A Stube for Generations
The Bier Stube first opened in spring 1966 on North High Street and over the decades became a no-frills, student-friendly fixture for Ohio State crowds and neighborhood regulars. Staff and owners built deep ties to the University District, and the bar’s closure last year left a noticeable hole in the corridor of longtime drinking spots. Campus reporting has chronicled the Stube’s history and the strong reaction from patrons when the original location closed, as noted by The Lantern.
Why the Stube Left High Street
The original Stube shuttered in 2024 after the building’s owners sold the property to developers planning a multi-story housing project, a change that made continued operation at the North High Street address impossible. Public reporting at the time laid out developer plans for a large timber-framed apartment complex and the resulting demolition of several longtime storefronts, a move that sent Kempton searching for a nearby replacement. Local coverage of the closure and community reaction was compiled in contemporaneous reporting, including a summary of the development plans by Eleven Warriors.
What Locals Are Seeing Now
Kempton’s posts and a recent walkthrough have generated dozens of responses from regulars, and local outlets say the rebuild blends a larger bar footprint with carefully rescued elements from the old Stube. Reporting from neighborhood sites, notes Kempton has kept much of the original paneling and memorabilia in storage with plans to reinstall pieces where possible, a move that supporters say should help preserve the Stube’s familiar feel inside a new shell. The combination of more square footage, a patio, and reclaimed artifacts has elevated expectations among Buckeye alumni and nearby residents, per Columbus Underground.
What’s Next
There is still no firm public opening date. Kempton had previously hoped for a late-December reopening, but the project remains active, and permitting and buildout work appear ongoing. Local reporting and permit filings indicate the relocation is moving forward but not yet complete, and Kempton has stressed that he would rather take the time to get the new Stube right than rush a premature opening. Fans can expect a bigger, patio-ready Bier Stube back near campus once the renovations finish and final permits are in place, according to reporting and license filings seen by local outlets like 614Now.
