The Manor is coming back.
Operators of the LGBTQ-friendly restaurant and ultralounge at 924 N. Charles St., closed since late December due to a burst water pipe, on Thursday received approval to reopen from Baltimore’s liquor board.
The liquor board granted a request to reopen after liquor license holder Steven Preston sent a letter stating that building repairs are now complete and The Manor is ready to reopen.
“Remediation and repairs have now concluded following substantial water damage that occurred from a broken pipe on the fourth floor of our restaurant,” Preston said in a July 11 letter to the board.
License holders need permission from the liquor board to reopen if their business has been shuttered for three consecutive months or more. The location also has to be inspected to make sure it meets local fire and health codes.
Stephan Fogleman, an attorney for The Manor, told the liquor board members that the operators of the Manor intend to reopen as soon as possible.
“Assuming they go down and make sure they have a current fire permit and health permit, they’ll be open this weekend,” he said.
Fogleman told the board the repairs took longer than expected at the building, a former mansion that was built in 1850s and housed The Elephant and Brass Elephant restaurants before opening as The Manor in February 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic surfaced.
“They got hit on the night after Christmas,” he said. “Pipes burst. Thousands of dollars worth of damage. They looked to immediately ameliorate that situation. In fact, they were really excited to be open in June for Pride Month. That didn’t happen due to labor shortages and building material shortages. In fact they had purchased alcohol in April and May in anticipation of being open before Pride and during Pride, but unfortunately they weren’t able. They’re now able to reopen after all these months.”
Earlier this year, a liquor board representative said the city agency was unable to process The Manor’s application to renew its license to sell alcohol for 2023-2024 because a ‘hold’ had been placed on its license by the state. The “State of Maryland tax renewal hold’ was lifted on June 15, 2023, according to liquor board records.
