Maggie’s Tavern, a bar popular among the Syracuse University greek community, has closed.

Jina Eun, a junior psychology and religion and society major, was training to be a bartender at the University Avenue establishment, and was informed about a week and a half ago that Maggie’s would be closing.

‘The manager, Rob Delles (a 2004 SU graduate), called my roommate and told us the bar was closing for the rest of summer, but that it would reopen at the beginning of the fall semester,’ Eun said.

Delles denied making the phone call and said Maggie’s is simply closed for renovations.

However, the bar’s sign has been taken down and there is a large ‘For Sale’ sign in the window. Amin Raslan, who owns both Maggie’s and Student’s Choice Market on Marshall Street, could not be reached for comment.

Jerry Dellas, president of the Crouse Marshall Business Association, said he heard Maggie’s chose not to renew its lease in the Marshall Square Mall.

‘The drinking age is 21, so for the marketplace, we don’t need an awful lot of bars up on the Hill,’ Dellas said. ‘It’s bad for the owner of Maggie’s, but he may be relocating somewhere else.’

Last spring, Faegan’s Caf & Pub and Lucy’s Retired Surfer’s Bar were each raided once as part of Operation Prevent, the Syracuse Police Department initiative to curb underage drinking. Since Operation Prevent debuted in February 2003, Maggie’s has only been raided once, in September of that year. Lt. Shannon Trice, who heads Operation Prevent, could not be reached for comment.

Published on August 7, 2006 at 12:00 pm