A year later, The Pub rises from the rubble

Just over a year following the collapse of The Pub tavern, a landmark Maryville watering hole at 414 N. Main, a virtually new structure is rising from within the surviving brick storefront.

The south wall of the building, which for many years housed the Maryville Daily Forum before its conversion into a bar, suddenly buckled and crumbled into rubble shortly before 8 a.m. on Sept. 1, 2011.

Following the collapse, owner Jeff Zeller decided to rebuild the structure, a decision that city officials said was delayed due to prolonged negotiations between Zeller and his insurance company.

This summer, however, reconstruction moved forward and has accelerated in recent weeks.

According to an update submitted to the Maryville City Council this week, both an interior dividing wall and the south exterior wall, which is being completely reconstructed, have been framed.

Roof and ceiling joists have been installed, and workers were on site Wednesday covering the roof with plywood sheeting. In addition, a safety barricade in front of the building has been removed, unblocking the sidewalk on the west side of Main Street.

Efforts to rebuild The Pub mark the first time a structure has been replaced downtown since a major fire last summer destroyed two buildings just south of the square and severely damaged a third.

Counting three aging, unstable structures demolished by the United Methodist Church in 2010, downtown Maryville has lost a half-dozen buildings in three years, with The Pub being the first to be rebuilt.