‘An eyesore’: Buildings next to The Dispensary in Old Town Bluffton are being demolished
One of Old Town Bluffton’s most popular watering holes will look a little different Saturday night after a demolition celebration.
After more than five years of delayed opening dates and a number of lawsuits, the two vacant buildings next to the Old Town Dispensary that were slated to be a fine-dining restaurant and raw bar are being torn down.
The Dispensary is hosting a “Demo Day,” according to a graphic posted on its Facebook page. It says, “come celebrate with us as we tear down an eyesore and put up a parking lot” and “Here’s to new beginnings!”
The demolition begins at 5:30 p.m. with live music and a champagne bar. The restaurant will also be open.
The buildings were originally intended to be an expansion of The Dispensary but have sat vacant for years, according to previous reporting.
First announced in August 2015, the buildings were going to be The Depot and Raw Bar and connected to The Dispensary by decks. Former co-owners Thomas Viljac, who founded The Dispensary, and husband and wife Matt and Carol Jording, who also own The Sage Room on Hilton Head Island, hit a number of snags before construction could ever be completed, though.
Between a number of lawsuits involving multiple parties, a stop-work order on construction, and a Beaufort County judge awarding the Jordings sole ownership of The Dispensary and The Depot/Raw Bar in 2018, the buildings were untouched for some time.
On Friday night, The Dispensary posted to its Facebook page saying, “Just to be clear, we are not excited to tear buildings down but very excited to close an awful chapter. We are excited for New Beginnings!”
Saturday night’s event poster was also published to The Depot - Restaurant & Raw Bar’s Facebook page, which was created in December 2015. Before that, the last post was in April 2016 saying the restaurants are “not far off” and they are “completing final stages.” Two commenters asked when they will open, but got no response.
