Rusty's Bar And Grill In Middletown Closing

MIDDLETOWN, RI — Rusty's Bar and Grill, a longtime local spot for live music, watching a game and all sorts of great times is closing its doors.

The bar is expected to be torn down and replaced with a 23-unit, four-story hotel. Construction is expected to start in the spring.

Since 2004, Chuck Dings and his wife Robin ran Rusty's building a loyal customer base over the last 14 years. Rusty's days at 44 Wave Avenue are coming to an end soon though as the owners of the building, brothers Harry and Peter Kyriakides, announced plans to demolish the building and construct a hotel.

Robin Dings told Patch that her and her husband have been searching for a new location for about a month or two now, but admitted there just aren't that many places out there.

"I'm sad about it, but there's not anything I can do. I pay rent here, Robin Dings said. "If they want to build a hotel they can build a hotel."

While town officials have said this type of development is good for the lower Aquidneck Avenue area, longtime customers of Rusty’s told Newport Daily News they disagree.

“You come in here and it’s like ‘Cheers,’” Middletown native and longtime patron Carl Haas told Newport Daily News, “You see all of the people you grew up with, people who live here year-round and support this town and support the community. All of this goes away to benefit people who come here three or four months out of the year.”

Photo credit: Marc Torrence/Patch