The Alki Tavern, the storied West Seattle watering hole, is set to close after nearly 40 years in business. March 17, St. Patrick's Day is their final day in business. The building is in the process of being sold and the owner has indicated he is retiring. Pictured top right with black cap is Gil Mclynne who manages the bar for his father.
Photos, top, by Steve Shay. Bottom photo Google Map
One of Seattle's most well known "dive bars" the Alki Tavern will close on March 17. According to the owner's son. The bar is located at 1321 Harbor Ave. SW.
March 17 will be our last day at the Alki Tavern, " said Gil Mclynne who manages the bar for his father.
"It's one of those things where all good things must come to an end."
The deal is not finalized yet but is in the works to sell the land and the building. "I've been here writing emails all night trying to tell people and I just found out on Christmas Eve," McLynne said.
"Development is inevitable at this point on Alki, especially with the space we have down here with the empty lot next door and the run down house next to that. This building is over 100 years old. It's a very sad thing for West Seattle so I'm really hoping to put a positive spin on things. Hopefully everybody in West Seattle that has ever been to the Alki Tavern or loved the Alki Tavern will come down over the next three months and just show their love for it."
"Running a bar for 40 years is not an easy thing and it wasn't an easy decision to sell it, especially with the big kind of "family" we have going down here. This is very locals only spot. People who know about it love it and people who don't love it, don't know about it. It saddens me a lot to do it but it's out of my hands. I've run it for my dad for the past few years and he's ready to be retired."
The younger McLynne is looking to start another bar in West Seattle and is already looking at potential locations. "This bar definitely has a feeling about it, so hopefully we can move what we've got down here somewhere else."
The final day, March 17, will be a big party though the plans are still in the works. So far he's heard from many bands who'd like to play for that final event.
"This isn't the end of it. We've got three more months and we're going to rock it down here. We're going to throw a bunch of shows and I want everybody to come down and enjoy it for the last three months. St. Patrick's Day is a really big day for us. We do a really big Corned Beef cookout with an old family recipe and it's going to be a huge day. It's not to be missed. It's going to be THE party in West Seattle."
