ANN ARBOR, MI - The new iteration of downtown Ann Arbor's popular Circus Bar is here.
The Circ Bar's soft opening on Friday, Sept. 21, unveiled a new look nine months in the making.
And there are more reveals ahead for the 167-year-old building at 210 S. First St.
Siblings Roger Ahn, Grace Ahn and Steven Ahn - who all graduated from the University of Michigan - co-own The Circ Bar.
They moved to New York after college and were looking for a chance to return to Ann Arbor when they purchased the building in February 2017 for $2.5 million from Nick Easton, who owned the property since 1994 and created the fantastical concept for Circus Bar.
As The Circ Bar, the circus-themed decor - including the stuffed lion that roared above the bar - has been replaced with rustic, modern fixtures that showcase the building's original brick walls and timber beams.
"The inspiration was the history of the building itself," said Grace Ahn, who is an architect and designer. "Then the design for the bar was a take on marrying the future and the past."
The Circ Bar occupies the second floor of the building, with the main entrance at the top of the stairs on South First Street. The Ahn siblings doubled the square footage of the bar by taking out an apartment and office space.
Now, the main bar area includes a large L-shaped bar, a small corner stage and plenty of seating options.
A separate lounge with a U-shaped bar and fireplace sit on the west side of the building, with access to a large rooftop deck that overlooks the railroad tracks and offers sunset views, Roger said.
The Circ Bar has a full kitchen and will serve food like ribs, tacos and chicken nuggets until 10 p.m. The Circ Bar will be closed on Mondays and open from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 1 p.m. to 2 a.m. Fridays, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m. to midnight Sundays.
Karaoke will be offered Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m., and other events will be added to the schedule as The Circ Bar gets up and running.
More details on plans for the other floors of the building will be released in the weeks ahead.
"It's sort of a wait-and-see sort of thing," Roger said. "We just want to surprise people a little bit."