Last call: Closing time for Asian Pub

The popular NYU waterhole Cooper 35 Asian Pub is scheduled to be closed and torn down in the coming months.

The pub, located on 35 Cooper Square, was sold in an all-cash transaction for $8.5 million. The developer recently issued a notice to the management of Asian Pub of their intent to shut down the business.

"The fact that we can't be here is not an issue," said an employee of the pub who asked to remain anonymous. "The issue [that] really stands is that this was built in 1825. There [are] a lot of poets that lived here. It has a good history for Lower Manhattan."

The Bowery Alliance of Neighbors has also come down against the transaction, citing the building's historical significance. Sally Young, a researcher for the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors who has lived in the neighborhood for 30 years, said the building was the first of four houses built by Nicholas William Stuyvesant in the 1800s.

David Mulkins, co-founder and chair of the Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, added that it's one of the oldest buildings in the neighborhood.

The employee at Asian Pub, who also lives in the neighborhood, predicts the building will be replaced by a high rise.

Mulkins said this was a possibility. "One important thing to note is [on] the east side of the Bowery and Cooper Square, there is no height cap," he said. "That's why they want to tear it down, because they can go all the way up to the clouds. The Cooper Square Hotel is 22 stories, which is way out of context in character with its surroundings. We feel like this new owner, if he tears it down, would probably want to go that high."

Massey Knakal Realty Services, the group that facilitated the bank transaction, had no comment on what will become of the property.

"We generated over 30 offers in under 45 days," Joseph Sitt, first vice president of sales at Massey Knakal, said in a statement. "The buyer is a known and respected developer who performed as expected on a two week T.O.E. close. It just goes to show there is always strong demand when locations are prime."

The Bowery Alliance of Neighbors and Asian Pub are circulating petitions in order to get the building landmarked.

"If you've ever been to places like Paris and Prague you can walk for hours and nothing breaks the mood of the architecture you're looking at," Mulkins said. "Any good artist will tell you that each building has its own style and technique. But every building has the concept of its surroundings. They're really destroying the character and historical significance of the neighborhood." 

"We will do everything in our power to try to save the building," he added.

While neighbors struggle to keep the building intact, the future of Asian Pub is still unknown.

"We have no idea where we are going," the employee from the pub said. "We're waiting and seeing. We'll notify everybody when we know."