<p><img src="http://www.genx40.com/images/2004d/midtown_tavern.jpg" vspace="10" hspace="20" align="left">There is an update on developments on the Midtown. Literally it is getting developed. Check out the CBC Nova Scotia article I copied over at the sister-station.

Many times me and my friends have decided to head to the MidTown, but to no avail. The real problem is that it always closes early. The Halifax drinking scene is partially driven by unversity students who aren't at the bars much before 10:00 PM. If you want to enjoy the MidTown, you have to go much earlier. If it stayed open even until 1:00 AM the MidTown would have made a fortune off of me. Of course, now that they want to ruin the view of the Harbour from Citadel Hill, with a misplaced 17 story tower, I'm not interested in giving them any of my money anyway. If we're going to mourn the loss of heritage in relation to the MidTown Tavern in Halifax, we should be more concerned about the big picture (literally).

Hi I'm the grnadson of the owner of the Midtown. My dad's Bob Grant. The Midtown is the best place in town i think because they serve a ton of beer and they have the best steak in town. They do not want to ruin the view from Citadel to by making a hotel. You can't even see the harbour now if you looked where the Midtown is. Except for a tiny tiny bit. The group that was appealing edited a picture so that you couldnt see the harbour at all and showed it in the hearing. The review board thought it was real and said no to building the hotel. The group appealing was worried that Halifax has to many big buildings now and they want to keep it like the way it is now. But we have to get with the times. Halifax is a City not an old town that needs to stay in the past. These buildings will get people to come here and not ignore us. Anyway a hotel next to the Metro Center with a bar that has the best steak and town is great. People can have a good meal and they wouldnt have to worry about the Midtown being closed. It would be open later if people are staying over night. And it can't stay open until 1:00 AM because people live above it and they would be up all night trying to sleep.

Hi guys I like coors light and I go to the Tavern almost every weekend. You guys have the BEST STEAK EVER!!!!

thats not my email ok?

Hey! Thanks for writing Rob. It's been a long time since I was in the Midtown but I loved it when they did. I am not clear on where this whole hotel matter is now but best to your family.

First of all, the Midtown Tavern & Grill Limited is owned solely by Douglas Grant, and that will not change.
It has always been his intention, and that of his wife, Jean, that the Midtown Tavern & Grill Limited be equally shared by their four children (Eric, Bobby, Arlene and Jeffrey).
However, when you read the messages above, and others in print, one could assume that the Midtown is owned by Eric Grant and Bobby Grant. It is not!!
The Development Group consists of Gordon Rudolph, Doug Rudolph and Archie Hattie. And, in recent months you would think that Eric Grant and Bobby Grant are part of that Development Group, and not members of the Grant family!
Note that the Development Group (Rudolph, Rudolph and Hattie) must deal with all members of the Grant family if they wish to make any deal for the Midtown Tavern & Grill Limited and the land it sits on!!

Looking for an old friend, Ken Sands.
Did a Google search and came up with a beer blog from Nova Scotia. Sounds like Ken to me. Is it you Ken? Heard you were in Canada somewhere. Wondering what you are up to. Hope you see this. Contact me we need to catch up!

Sorry - not Ken.

Oh - you meant in the comment above.

Does anyone know the secret recipe for there steaks?

Hi. My husband has worked at the Midtown for a number of years. He is one of the people that cook those great steaks along with the other great food. It is time for this city to expand it sights and incorporate good food with places to stay if we want to have people spend their hard earned money here. What alot of people tend to forget is that this is the livelyhood for the people who work at this establishment. So whoever owns the Midtown, and whoever are trying to develope it, and whoever want to stop this development either for money matters or for heritage matters, need to remember that there are people here that need their jobs. Please remember them.

I am from P.E.I. and every time I come to Halifax I alway go to the Midtown.It is a great spot.The food and beer is great.

I have travelled all over the world and been to many great watering holes. The Midtown is one of the sacred shrines.

The Midtown is up there - up there with the Parliament Buidings, Joseph Howe, the St. Lawrence River and the Rocky Mountains. You want a big, big building on the site? Build it over the Midtown.

The Midtown Tavern is the only bar i have not thrown up in, i guess because it is not open as late as the other bars. But i do enjoy the steak every weekend when i am in the mood for early afternoon drinking.

This year is the 30th year that my wife and I have been going to the Midtown...especially before the basketball and hockey games at the metro center or just for the hell of it.
Eric and Bobby and the rest of the staff make us feel like we're family when we're there.
The Midtown is a tradition!

It is "THE" place to go before the game. Don't beleive me? try getting a table at 5 or 6 oclock Friday night before the Cis games!
Those of us that have been "regulars" for many years would love to see a hotel and especially parking added to that downtown core but please keep the same "Spirit" of the Midtown alive.
Our son has now become a part of that pre game tradition and hopefully he'll get a chance to introduce his future family to the unique and awesome atmosphere that the Midtown has become famous for.
It's like "Cheers"....but for real!
Ken

I guess all good things come to an end. It is hard to believe that Midtown is not imortal. I will never forget driving around and around the block looking for parking then the customary order of peperoni to munch on while the steaks were cooking. I have not lived in Halifax for about 16 years but always try to stop by when I am in town. I think familiarity is as improtant as the beer. The atmosphere is second to none even after being away for years it was always easy to lick up a conversation about Cardinals baseball. Does John Holland still work there?
I hope I can get there once more before it closes. Does anyone know when this will happen?

I have been going to the Midtown for 37 years -- it is the best. The Grant's have all served me (Doug, Eric and Bobby) and made me feel part of the family. In all my years at the Midtown I don't remember seeing Arlene nor Jeffrey at the Midtown. I hope they can all work out their family differences and keep the Midtown alive -- I know Eric and Bobby are there each day, still today, making that happen. It is time for the entire family to work together to continue the Midtown tradition -- as Doug Grant planned it many years ago.

My previous message did not show my email. Added. May the Midtwon live on.

I used to work at Central Guaranty Trust datacentre in the late 80's early 90's, I would call the midtown via phone to place my lunch order,by the time I walked a total of 4 minutes from my building on Market St. it was in a bag ready for me to return to work to enjoy my meal. Now that's class/service in my mind.
Thanks for the memories.

I can't make out if the Midtown is open or closed...I am hoping that it is open as we have travelled from Alberta and are on our way to Halifax next week and have always dropped in for a beer and something to eat. Last time we were there, my husband bought a t-shirt and my father-in-law a hat - we were walking through the Vancouver airport and a pilot stopped to comment on their t-shirt and hat, saying that he too has enjoyed the Midtown years earlier. In any case - thank you for the great service and the many memories that we have from your establishment - my favourite will alway be walking through the kitchen to use the ladies room!

Okay you got me! I am coming to Halifax from Southern Ontario next week to try this Midtown out. I have heard nothing but fantasic things.

My Dad and I have been longtime patrons of the Midtown.Doug ,Eric,and Bobby always made time to come over sit down and have a chat.I moved away from Halifax in the mid 90's,but always stop in the Midtown when home in Hfx.Doug was very proud of all of his family members.their grade point scores as well as their sporting trophys.I live in a little town just north of Calgary and the Midtown is well known here too!So guys I will be home in Aug and my first stop is the Midtown for a few pints of the BEST DRAFT in Canada.
Cheers
Peter Courtney

Here is a news upate on the Midtown. This particular part of the news is sad:<blockquote class="smalltext">The family, led by octogenarian patriarch Doug Grant, has been through a lot in the intervening years. Mr. Grant has been in poor health since 2004 and a lawsuit is ongoing between his children over allegations of mismanaged and missing money. "There’s enough other stuff going on that a building is just not first and foremost on my mind at this point," Eric (Grant) said Tuesday. </blockquote>

My Dad Lou Christian works at the Midtown Tavern and I do not want to see the Midtown Tavern close because it is best place to eat in all of Halifax.

New Halifax convention centre brewing after Midtown sale
Developer buys watering hole
By STEVE PROCTOR Business Editor
Fri. Jul 4 - 9:14 AM

One of Halifax’s most prominent watering holes has been sold and may be demolished to make way for a convention centre.

Developer Joe Ramia confirmed Thursday he completed a deal late last week to buy the Midtown Tavern and Grill on Grafton Street, a move that clears the way for a proposed convention centre on the tavern site and adjacent Chronicle Herald property.

# RELATEDDowntown tower gets a no

Mr. Ramia’s company, Argyle Developments, bought the two-block Herald property in March 2007 and had planned a mixed commercial-residential development for the site.

But with the province and city issuing a call for proposals in March for a new convention centre, and the possibility of the Midtown purchase looming, Mr. Ramia said his company switched gears and has been working on developing a concept for a convention centre.

"We’re still working on the plans with the architect," he said Thursday, unwilling to offer any details. "You’ll see it in a couple of weeks."

The sale of the Midtown followed a year-long court battle that resulted when the children of the tavern’s ailing owner, octogenarian Doug Grant, couldn’t agree on the future of the business or the building.

The court appointed accountant Paul Goodman of BDO Dunwoody Goodman Rosen as financial guardian for Mr. Grant and gave him the power to dispose of the owner’s shares in the tavern. The $1.5-million sale to Mr. Ramia was completed last week after family members decided they didn’t want to waste any more energy fighting the sale.

"It wasn’t supposed to happen this way," said Eric Grant, the owner’s son, who manages the tavern. "My brother and I have invested 35 years of our lives in the business. There were lots of promises made about who was going to continue the legacy, but nothing was ever written down."

He said his father turned down lots of offers in the past so he could continue to keep workers employed, but his health failed and now he needs the money. The matter ended up in court, and a judge and the receiver decided that the sale to Mr. Ramia was the way to proceed, Eric Grant said.

Although grateful to be able to run the business for another year while Mr. Ramia’s plan for the overall site winds through the approval process, Mr. Grant said it will be a sad day when the Midtown is torn down.

"People are going to miss it, no question," he said.

Mr. Grant said he and his brother will use the year to sniff around for another opportunity in the industry, but he concedes it will be impossible to duplicate the atmosphere of the Midtown. He’s not sure he would even try.

To conform to the province’s specifications, a new convention centre would have to be at least 150,000 square feet, nearly three times the size of the present World Trade and Convention Centre a block away. It is rumoured that the new building would also include office space and possibly a hotel.

Other expressions of interest in developing a new convention centre have come from the Halifax Port Authority, the Hardman Group of Halifax, Bird/Rideau Construction of Bedford, EastPen Inc. of Halifax and Anwyll Fogo Architects of Halifax.

Mr. Ramia said the spate of recent development announcements in Halifax — a 22-storey office complex by ECL Developments, a 16-storey office building by Louis Resnick and Halkirk’s 21-storey condo at the Brewery Market site — is good news.

"It’s all positive," he said. "Hopefully as a city we have turned a corner."

In addition to being a developer and landlord, Mr. Ramia’s business interests include The Brick furniture stores in Atlantic Canada and the Gallery 1 furniture store in Dartmouth.

I made a pilgrimage to the Midtown during my visit to Halifax back in early July. Its like going back in a time warp to 1976. The steak was awsome and the beer good and cold. The staff allowed me to take some photos of the place along with my wife and youngest son. It will be a sad day in Halifax when they close the doors. Thanks for the memories...

Our son has just moved to HFX and we will return for the second summer to visit one of our favourite Cities. Friend Chris Brennan
whose Dad worked at the paper years ago said promise me you'll stop and have a steak at the Midtown before they knock it over.He says it is the last of the real old time taverns in Halifax. He says there is no telling exactly what kind of steak it is or what grade but it is Goood ! You'll be proud to say you did in years to come . So we are bringing everybody downtown ina few weeks to do just that; hope they have a table for us. We grew up ordering two and a juice in numerous prairie beer parlours that were spartan but friendly and beery good. So we'll see how tyhe Midtown compares to those old haunts now largely gone as well. See you later in September.