Rethinking the 'Stend

As the West End, the legendary watering hole for Columbia students, shuts its doors today and begins its next chapter as a Cuban restaurant, its new owner insists his restaurant will live up to the bar's legacy.

According to Jeremy Merrin, Business '00, who will take over the West End, minor changes over the next few days and major renovations over the summer will allow future patrons to experience the bar's former glory.

"We don't want to change the essential character of the West End. The big center bar, the benches on the side, the cheap beer, they'll still be there," Merrin said. "For anyone who walks in, it'll be immediately recognizable as the West End."

The bar will close for four to five days and re-emerge as Havana Central at the West End with a fresh coat of paint and new menu items. Beginning July 1, Merrin plans to introduce more Cuban dishes, revamp the decor, and move the kitchen to the basement. The current kitchen will be annexed to the back room, increasing its capacity to 150 people for sit-down functions.

As landlord of the building in which the West End is located, Columbia had the right to approve the sale, according to Carol Shuchman, Columbia's director of commercial leasing.

"The West End has been seeking to sell its business for several years now and during that time Columbia has been supportive of their search, participating with them in the process of selecting an appropriate restaurateur," Shuchman said in a statement.

"One thing I think we do better than anybody is mojitos," Merrin said. "But it's still going to be a beer place. It's still going to have beer pong or whatever else you kids do. ... We're going to make it a place that can certainly withstand the college crowd, but we'll make it nice enough to bring back the neighborhood residents."

In 1990, when Katie Gardner, Journalism '81, and her husband Jeff Spiegel became owners of the West End for what would be 17 years, they too were confronted with having to maintain an image associated with the landmark.

"When we came here, this place was empty, literally empty, and we rebuilt it," Gardner said, "They [alumni] walk in and say 'It looks different, but it's still the West End.'"

According to Merrin, the new and classier features of the West End's newest incarnation won't burden students' budgets.

"We'll have the same price levels the West End has now; we won't blow your wallet," Merrin said.

Despite the novelty of a local Cuban restaurant, some students have mixed feelings about the changes in store for Morningside's most famous bar.

Shuchman acknowledged that alumni and current students may feel nostalgic for the West End, but she said that Havana Central has the capacity to provide the same.

"The sale of the West End was the decision of the business owners, not Columbia. That said, it is common in New York, but no less bittersweet for patrons, when a favorite business decides to close," Shuchman said. "We are hopeful that generations of future Columbians will find ways to build new memories in that same space."

Tanveer Ali and John Davisson contributed to this article.