From the archive: This story was first published on March 4, 2024.

“The Old Biker Bar” behind the Blue Collar Cafe Building has seen its last sunrise. 

Crews from the City of Niceville Public Works Department took a wrecking ball to the dilapidated structure the city decided to destroy as a way to upgrade the area for the coming ‘Downtown Niceville’ project envisioned by city leaders. 

The building, built in 1959 according to the Property Appraiser’s Office, had seen better days before its destruction. Builders erected it originally as a light manufacturing warehouse. The last use for the building was as a bar. 

The building and the land under it have undergone a rapid valuation increase over the last five years. In 2019, the land and building were worth approximately $37,000. Five years later, the property appraiser valued the land at $153,000. The 7700-square-foot building that was just torn down was valued at $92,000. 

“Hopefully, we will be able to put a landing there so that you can have weddings out there at the end of the pier,” said Councilwoman Cathy Alley, “We’re going to redevelop so that we can have a whole downtown area [where we can host] food trucks [and] entertainment going on down there. And then also to build up down there to have kind of a mini Baytowne Wharf, with businesses on the bottom and maybe residential up top. That’s what we’re hoping we can achieve down there; a downtown gathering place for everybody to get together.”

What exactly will go in the old bar’s place hasn’t been decided yet. But, you can check out the plans the city has released here:

Alley noted that Niceville City Manager David Deitch has hired a grant writer for the city to solicit money from other government sources like the state and national administrations. “We’ve got to be able to get the funds to do [the Niceville Downtown/Landing area],” Alley added. She believes the project will end up costing the city about $12 Million before it’s all said and done.