Opening in downtown Tacoma where Paddy Coyne's operated - The Forum Tacoma

It won’t be an Irish bar, but it will be a bar - The Forum Tacoma intends to open by the end of the year in the downtown Tacoma space that housed Paddy Coyne’s for six years. This is the second location for The Forum, which opened in Puyallup in July.

Business partners Tim Mellema, Greg and Tanya Troger and Geoff Kaylor will operate the pub.

Renovations have just begun. Mellema said the barrier separating the bar from the family-friendly seating was the first to go. He said the change would improve seating flow, but the barrier’s removal also means that The Forum Tacoma will operate as a 21 and older bar.

Other renovations are expected to be light - the addition of warmer paint colors and a few other minor cosmetic details. But that historic back bar that’s the showpiece of the Olympus Hotel Building? The bar that was carved by Franciscan monks and shipped to Tacoma in 1912? It stays put. “You can’t touch that, it’s too beautiful and perfect,” said Mellema. The original white, octagonal floor tiles also stay put. (See historical photos from our archive below).

The menu will remain nearly identical to The Forum Puyallup, which serves sandwiches, burgers, fish and chips and pub eats that I rated as pretty darn decent for the pricetag (most of the menu is priced under ten bucks). Mellema said Forum Tacoma prices will stay close to Puyallup prices. Speaking of affordable pubs - the concept sounds similar to two other bars in the same neighborhood - Meconi’s and The Office. That immediate neighborhood also is home to Tacoma Cabana, Matador and Dorky’s. Coming soon is Cafe Vincero, a restaurant that has been delayed due to permit issues. I'll have an update soon on that opening.

The Forum Tacoma will be at 815 Pacific Ave. Find the Facebook page here.

[caption id="attachment_14139" align="aligncenter" width="480"] The lounge and dining area of the Olympus Hotel at 815 Pacific Avenue in Tacoma as it appeared in late 1949.  News Tribune file, courtesy of Washington State Historical Society.[/caption]

This story was originally published October 21, 2013 at 7:40 AM with the headline "Opening in downtown Tacoma where Paddy Coyne's operated - The Forum Tacoma."