Bucks County tavern for sale. $1.25M gets you a bar, nostalgia and more at The Raven's Nest
The Raven’s Nest is steeped in nostalgia.
Stepping through its old farmhouse door on a recent Thursday, a few locals chatted comfortably around a solid oak bar under the glow of neon signs and stained-glass lamps.
One room over, a woman sat at the upright piano, her fingers dancing across the ivory keys as she belted out a soulful blues number reminiscent of Bessie Smith.
The Raven’s Nest, currently on the market for $1.25 million, is a place owner Al Pray will have a hard time saying goodbye to the Old Bethlehem Pike mainstay in Upper Bucks County. But with recent health problems plaguing him, the 80-year-old said it’s time to pass the torch on to someone else.
He hopes the next person will carry on its legacy.
“The building has continuously operated as a tavern since 1750,” Pray said.
“I would just like to see it keep going. I don’t want my legacy to be that I closed the bar and sold it. I would rather see it continue on the way it is or taken to the next level by turning it into a regular restaurant,” he said.
Pray, who also ran a masonry business, purchased the tavern in Haycock in 1987 and named it The Raven’s Nest, after his daughter. In the four-bedroom apartment upstairs, he raised his family.
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The tavern itself has become a popular blues bar among locals, hosting live music at least twice a week with local musicians and its own house band. But it also became an easygoing spot to simply unwind and meet up with friends, Pray said.
“It’s not like other bars,” he said. “My patrons, the people here, are my friends. Everybody gets along so well in here because nobody acts like they’re somebody. In here, you’re just like the rest of us.”
In the seven months since it first went on the market, Evan Walton, the listing agent with Addison Wolfe Real Estate, said there’s been steady traffic from interested buyers, including a couple builders and a number of people looking to get into the restaurant and bar business.
“The tavern just needs new stewardship. It has a great local following. The area is growing around it, and it’s a staple of the community,” Walton said.
Where is The Raven’s Nest?
The Raven’s Nest is located at 625 Old Bethlehem Road in Haycock, less than a mile from Nockamixon State Park.
What does the $1.25 million Haycock listing include?
The listing consists of two parcels totaling more than 8 acres, which includes the tavern property and a second piece of land across the street.
The tavern is a classic stone building, featuring deep window sills, hardwood floors, exposed stone walls, a wrap around bar, dining area, grill, updated kitchen with stainless steel commercial equipment and stone fireplaces on main level and second level.
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Above the tavern, is a four-bedroom residential apartment on the second floor and a storage space on the third level with the potential to expand the residence. The property also features an art studio with electric, a deck, an enclosed screened-in gazebo and an outbuilding.
Kitchen appliances, lighting, furniture, signage, trade fixtures and architectural plans for spacious addition and deck to be included in the sale. Liquor and entertainment licenses are also included.
On the second parcel there is currently a 40-space parking lot, an outbuilding and an open field with building and development possibilities.
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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: The Raven's Nest, an old Haycock tavern, is for sale for $1.25 million
