Howard Street, part of the block known as Antique Row. Instead, Hayes explored other options in Mount Vernon and chose the Bentley’s property at 885-889 N. Centre Street, the spot formerly known as Flavor, but never opened there. In March of 2020, he received liquor board approval to operate a bar at 15 E. When it was clear that Grand Central would have to close to make way for the office project, Hayes said he’d like to find a location where its patrons could go once construction began. Grand Central closed after original owner Don Davis sold the property to a developer, Landmark Partners, which is constructing an eight-story office building in its place. Its last day of operation was September 3. Hayes is the former general manager of Grand Central, the popular bar and club that was at the northeast corner of Charles and Eager Streets from 1991 to 2020.
Marc Hayes and Ivan Yordanov, owners of Central.īaltimore’s liquor board yesterday approved a request to transfer a Class “B” Beer, Wine and Liquor license to Marc Hayes and Ivan Yordanov, two businessmen who plan to open a 6,200 square foot restaurant, bar and nightclub on Howard Street’s Antique Row, in a three-building complex most recently occupied by Bentley’s jazz bar and lounge.Īccording to their application, the business will be called Central. Nine months after the gay-friendly Grand Central nightclub closed in Mount Vernon, a new gay club called Central is opening several blocks away. If a license purchaser wants to provide live entertainment, the license would have to be transferred to another property in the 44th district with zoning that permits live entertainment, he said.Bentley’s will become ‘Central,’ a new bar in Mt. The license permits live entertainment and outdoor seating on the premises, but does not allow sale of package goods to be taken off the property.Īccording to liquor board inspector John Chrissomallis, the Hippo’s license can only be transferred within the state’s 44th legislative district. The BD7 Beer, Wine and Liquor license for the property is in effect through April 30, 2016, according to documents on file with the liquor board.
Others familiar with the plan say they understand that Bowers intends to retain ownership of the building and lease it to CVS.īecause the building is part of the Mount Vernon historic district, any proposed changes to the exterior, such as signs and entrances, would have to be approved by the city’s Commission for Historical and Architectural Preservation (CHAP). In addition, CVS Chief Executive Officer Larry Merlo said this month that the company plans to rebuild two Baltimore area stores that were damaged during the April riots, one at 2509 Pennsylvania Avenue and one at 2560 West Franklin Street.Ĭity employees familiar with the project say Bowers has been working with CVS since before the looting and fire in Penn North that decimated the store on the night of Freddie Gray’s funeral. Paul Street in Charles Village near Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood campus. Company officials announced in March that they are opening a store as part of the student housing development under construction at 3200 St. A sign on the exterior reads Club Hippo.Ī “Hippo CVS” would be one of at least two new local stores from CVS.
The full name of the business is the Hippopotamus. In records of the Board of Liquor License Commissioners for Baltimore City, its address is listed as both 932-934 N. The low-rise, Art Deco-style building dates back to before World War II, when it was known as the Chanticleer, and is part of the Mount Vernon historic district. With a large dance floor, video bar and saloon, The Hippo has been the setting for a wide range of events, as well as the backdrop for annual Pride block parties. If CVS goes through with the project, it would mean the end of the nightclub, which opened in 1972 and has been a venerable anchor institution for Mount Vernon’s “gayborhood.” MONDAY, MAY 11, UPDATE: Chuck Bowers confirmed today in a statement to the media that The Hippo will close “sometime in the fall of 2015” and will reopen as a CVS pharmacy. The Hippo, one of Baltimore’s oldest gay and lesbian clubs, is apparently hanging up its disco ball.Ĭhuck Bowers, owner of the Mount Vernon nightspot, is negotiating to turn the building at the southwest corner of Charles and Eager streets into a CVS store, according to city representatives who have been in contact with CVS Health Corp.