The Library Tavern, located at 1330 Richmond Road in Williamsburg, has closed and will be replaced by a new restaurant later this year.
Owned and operated by Johnathon Kokolis, The Library Tavern opened in 1992 and served an assortment of sandwiches, burgers and pizzas.
However, after 24 years of service, a “for lease” sign was draped over the restaurant’s original sign as the building sat empty.
As of Monday, the “for lease” sign had been removed and the building’s new tenants were already in the process of renovating the restaurant and preparing for its opening slated for later this year.
Information about the new restaurant was not immediately made available.
The Astronomical Pancake & Waffle House, which is located next door to The Library Tavern, also has a “for lease” sign displayed outside of the restaurant.
Kokolis said both buildings are available for one-year leases while he finalizes plans for a hotel that will sit between both buildings.
The plan, he said, was to make sure both buildings stay occupied until the hotel franchise, which he declined to name, is completed.
“We’ve been working on this for about two-and-a-half years,” Kokolis said about the new hotel, which is slated to open in 2017.
