Legend's Bar is closing its doors for good
After nine years in operation, another piece of the downtown Rochester bar scene is closing its doors for good: Legends Bar and Grill announced on Facebook Wednesday evening that it would not reopen when it is allowed to on Monday.
Jeff Fieseler, owner of Legends, said it had been a “tough year” dealing with Covid-19, but the final nail in the coffin for his establishment came from the city.
“On Monday we received an email from the city of Rochester stating they would be moving forward to terminate our lease in preparation of putting a development plan together for the property in which Legends sits,” wrote Fieseler, adding that Gov. Walz’s updated guidelines for bars and restaurants came down “just a couple days too late.”
Legends was one of two Rochester bars under a lease agreement with the City of Rochester, Dooley’s Pub being the other. Both establishments came under fire in 2020 for playing fast and loose with Covid-19 regulations; in early November, Olmsted County Public Health closed Legends for 72 hours after a video of patrons partying unmasked was posted on Facebook.
City administration says it will put in a request to begin seeking bids for the demolition of the building at the January 20 council meeting. While the goal is to redevelop the riverfront site in the future, the city says planning efforts are under way to use the site as a public space with “turf grass and light vegetation until a future vision is determined.”
The city has owned the site since 2013.
Governor’s New Guidelines
Wednesday afternoon, Gov. Tim Walz announced he would ease restrictions on bars and restaurants, and other entertainment venues starting January 11.
After being closed to indoor dining for roughly two months, bars and restaurants will be allowed to operate at 50 percent capacity starting Monday (hard cap set at 150 people). No more than six people can sit at a single table together, and food service must stop by 10 p.m. each night. Reservations will be required.
Bar service will also open up, albeit in small increments right away: under this most recent order, party sizes at the bar are limited to two people, and six feet of distance between parties is required.
Other “entertainment venues” — think movie theaters, bowling alleys, and museums — will be allowed to open to 25 percent capacity. While capacity restrictions on gyms, fitness studios and pools remain at 25 percent, class sizes will be allowed to increase to 25 people.
In a Wednesday press conference, the governor expressed optimism that the state could continue to “turn the dials”further as vaccines continue to roll out across the state, with thousands of Minnesotans — primarily frontline healthcare workers and long-term care residents — receiving their first doses of vaccine each day.
Gov. Walz called on Minnesotans to remain vigilant in following his guidelines — saying a “critical mass” of vaccination was not far away, but the Covid situation across the state could easily worsen if people prematurely celebrate “the end” of the pandemic.
“The way we help these workers is by continuing to follow those guidelines,” said Gov. Walz. “Our restaurants can open, and they can do it safely. The health data supports it, so let’s not let [the numbers] get back up again.”
Seeb Takes Helm of DMC
The beginning of 2021 marked a transition period for Destination Medical Center’s Economic Development Agency (EDA): on Monday, Patrick Seeb became the $5.6 billion initiative’s second-ever executive director.
The official move comes roughly three months after previous executive director Lisa Clarke announced her retirement. Seeb steps into the position after previously serving as the initiative’s senior director of economic development and placemaking.
“As we begin 2021, I’m honored to take on this new role,” said Seeb. “We have accomplished much in the first phase of development thanks to the power of collaboration. We have learned to pivot over the past year, and as a resilient community, we are poised to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic from a position of strength.”
In addition to his new role as DMC EDA executive director, Seeb sits on the boards of Rochester Area Economic Development, Inc. (RAEDI) and the Rochester Downtown Alliance (RDA).
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
