It may not look like it yet, but Constitution Yards Beer Garden is about to be on the move at Wilmington's Riverfront.
The 9-year-old beer-and-entertainment hub will reopen later this spring at a new location, making way for the construction of a luxury apartment building at its current home.
In a twist, the beer garden will not move a half-mile south to a vacant lot on Justison Street between Hyatt Place Wilmington Riverfront and Homewood Suites by Hilton Wilmington Downtown, as operators Imian Partners said last fall.
Instead, it will move to the larger vacant corner lot at 303 Justison St. at West Street, just across the street from Constitution Yards' current location, Delaware Online/The News Journal can exclusively reveal.
It will sit next to a strip of shops that includes Riverfront Pets, Riverfront Bakery, Currie Hair Skin Nails and Ciro Food & Drink.
"This area is a little bigger and allowed us to not compromise the design," said Carter Messman, one of the five partners who run Connecticut-based Imian Partners.
Constitution Yards should open at its new home by "late spring," hopefully in time for Memorial Day weekend, Messman said.
The new location is about the same size as its current 30,000-square-foot footprint, but organizers promise an elevated experience while keeping the past programming and amenities including cornhole, ax throwing, kickball, sports leagues, live music and beer festivals.
In recent days, workers have been seen at the beer garden preparing for the move. The colorful, easily movable shipping containers that create the beer garden's unique look will be moved across the street next week before being repainted.
"Within the next week or two, there will be significant visual changes to both spaces," Messman said.
Among the changes coming to the casual, family-friendly spot:
The new location will have a 20% to 25% larger beer garden and about 35% of the lot will be a field for wiffleball, kickball and more. Unlike the current location, which needed to be a deck on risers for environmental reasons, the new spot will feature a full hardscape with turf, pavers and gravel.
The beer garden will lose its Christiana River view, however. But Messman said research showed the river was not a major draw for patrons.
"It wasn't necessarily a negative to have it, but it wasn't a huge positive. Most people sat wherever – not next to the river," he said. "There is some kayaking out there and the tall ship coming through sometimes, but it wasn't that scenic or engaging to people. I don't think it will be a huge loss."
It was last May when Delaware Online/The News Journal first reported that the beer garden would have to move to make way for the construction of the planned seven-story, 162-unit apartment building by Buccini Pollin Group, which also operates Constitution Yards in partnership with Imian.
Plans submitted to the Zoning Board of Adjustment last year showed a 93-foot-tall apartment building planned for the northern third of what is now Justison Landing Park.
The remainder of the property would remain public park space controlled by the Riverfront Development Corp., the public-private entity that has long steered development along the Christina and Brandywine riverfronts.
At first, the move to a new location was scheduled for this year, but then organizers opened the possibility it could remain at 308 Justison St. for one more year. However, a final decision has now been made and Constitution Yards Beer Garden 2.0 will be here in less than two months.
The need for relocation may have been a surprise for some of the beer garden's customers, but it wasn't for its operators – Buccini Pollin Group's development of the land was always part of the long-term plan for the site.
Imian Partners will continue to operate the beer garden in the new location. Imian also operates The Beer Garden at Whitehall in Middletown, along with Philadelphia's Mediterranean restaurant Spice Finch and Mexican restaurant/bar El Poquito.
Constitution Yards first opened in 2016 as the first beer garden in Wilmington, which is now also home to the Makers Alley beer garden in downtown.
Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at [email protected] or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).
(This story was updated to correct an outdated photo caption and add a map.)