Cooper's opens in time for New Year's

A last-ditch effort to cobble together a suitable drinking establishment paid off as Central Avenue's newest bar — Cooper's — opened in time for the New Year's Eve celebrations.

Developer Tom Donahue had told city attorney John Phelps he hoped to have the establishment open before the end of the year in order to save the liquor license. Several contractors had cycled in and out of the building over the past few months amid speculation about the building's future.

The building was last occupied by Truby's Wood-Fired Pizza, which closed in 2006 following a farewell party on Halloween night. Ten years before that, it was home to Stumptown Station, a beer and steak club. Some of the exterior decor remains, including the exotic hand-made sconce lights and deck gate.

Donahue's plans for the site have gone through architectural review three times now. Former Whitefish architect Chad Grover's design for Lofts At Cobblestone resembled a mountainside lodge, and San Francisco architects Heller Manus drafted a four-story office building that topped out at 53 feet.

The city's Architectural Review Committee approved Kibo Group of Whitefish's third design, The Offices At Cobblestone, in October 2008 — two weeks after the city council adopted a two-story, 35-foot height restriction for Central Avenue.

Demolition of the building has been delayed by the current recession. Donahue also owns the empty lot next to Craggy Range Bar and Grill, where the city's Downtown Master Plan once called for a five- or six-story "boutique hotel." The lot is currently used by Second Street Pizza for a mobile vending business.

Cooper's was open for just one night — New Year's Eve. The plan is to open the bar on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through January until the kitchen remodeling is completed.