UPDATE: Opening Tuesday, the Forum Tacoma on Pacific Avenue

Monday, Jan. 6, will be opening day for Forum Tacoma, the bar that replaces the former Paddy Coyne's. The Tacoma pub will closely duplicate the Puyallup Forum, which opened in the summer of 2013 in downtown Puyallup.

UPDATE: The opening is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 7.

Business partners Tim Mellema, Greg and Tanya Troger and Geoff Kaylor will operate the pub in Tacoma. Mellema and Kaylor are partners in the Puyallup Forum.

Renovations were light on the historic building that once housed the Olympus Hotel. The removal of a barrier separating the dining room and bar has improved seating flow, but the barrier’s removal also means that The Forum Tacoma will operate as a 21 and older bar. The historic back bar that was the showpiece of the Olympus Hotel building was preserved. Mellema said that a three-inch fir slab replaces the old bartop.

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 everything is under $10 at the Puyallup Forum).

The opening of the Forum further cements the area between 7th and 9th on Pacific Avenue as an entertainment destination - with Meconi's, The Office, Dorky's Arcade, Tacoma Cabana, Matador, 502 Downtown and Orange Door within steps of The Forum. Opening soon along that stretch will be Cafe Vincero, an Italian restaurant and wine bar. (Check construction updates here.)

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

This story was originally published January 1, 2014 at 3:00 PM with the headline "UPDATE: Opening Tuesday, the Forum Tacoma on Pacific Avenue."