While the fate of the Brickskeller pub in Washington, D.C. has been mostly rumor, today local FM radio station WTOP 103.5 revealed the names of the new buyers and some of their plans for the iconic building at 22nd Street NW. According to WTOP News:
Megan Merrifield and her husband are buying The Brickskeller, a haven for beer lovers on 22nd Street in Northwest.
When Merrifield takes over the property later this month, they will be changing the name to “Rock Creek” — and that’s about it. “We are buying the Brickskeller with the intention to keep the regulars that are going there, going there. We will offer them their favorite beers,” Merrifield says. “The bar may get some new hardwood floors and a facelift for the bathrooms.”
The report adds that December 23 is the expected closing date and that the new owners hope to re-open just a few days later, possibly as soon as the 26th. The Merrifields also own several area hotels, such as the Windsor Inn, Embassy Inn and the District Hotel.
Dave Alexander examined one of the bottles in the Brickskeller’s large cold storage area as the Washington, D.C. beer landmark, with more than 1300 selections on its beer menu, turned fifty years old in 2007. (PHOTO BY GREGG WIGGINS)
Why would you change an iconic name to something so bland?