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The DNAinfo archives brought to you by WNYC.
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Heartland Brewery Owner to Open West Village Restaurant

By Andrea Swalec | August 16, 2012 10:50am

GREENWICH VILLAGE — A former West Village garage is gearing up for a new life as a bustling bar and restaurant created by the owner of the Heartland Brewery, DNAinfo.com New York has learned. 

The owner of a chain of city brewpubs will open a 5,000-square-foot, 170-seat restaurant called Houston Hall at 222 W. Houston St. between Sixth Avenue and Seventh Avenue South, public records show. 

The eatery will have the Brooklyneer, an eatery that offers artisanal food from Brooklyn, and the Film Forum as neighbors.

Sinvin Real Estate, the exclusive broker for the location, described the space in a 2011 listing as the "final linchpin in the newly redeveloped West Houston Street."

Jon Bloostein, the founder of Heartland Brewery Group — which has seven saloons in Manhattan — signed a 21-year-lease for the space in March, city Department of Finance records show. Construction there is underway. 

A spokeswoman for Heartland Brewery said the company is not involved in Houston Hall and declined a request to interview Bloostein about his plans for the spot.

State Liquor Authority records show that a liquor license for the location — owned by West Village real estate scion Neil Bender — is pending.

Community Board 2 supported the application in September 2011 with the stipulations that the restaurant use doors on Downing Street only as an emergency exit, and that Houston Hall close at 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday and 1 a.m. Sunday and Monday. 

CB2 rejected an initial proposal by the restaurant to have rooftop dining, citing concerns about excess noise.