A storied name in Capitol Hill coffee has returned to its birth neighborhood. Bauhaus Capitol Hill is now open on Harvard Ave E.

CHS stopped by Thursday night as the cafe was part of dozens of venues across the Hill hosting Lit Crawl Seattle events.

Though it exited the neighborhood amid a cloud of financial problems and leaving employees and customers in the dust, Bauhaus returns four years later having survived and strengthened its “strong coffee” recipe with a new business structure and ownership.

CHS reported in September on the plans for Bauhaus to take over the Harvard Ave E cafe space where Down Pour Coffee struggled to catch on. Now organized under partnerships co-owned by Bauhaus founder Joel Radin’s spouse, Smita Patel, Bauhaus returns to Capitol Hill after establishing a new base in Ballard in the wake of the abrupt closure of its “temporary” E Pine cafe in late 2015, a move that also killed any plans of a return to it original location at Melrose and Pine. Months later, CHS would report on Radin’s financial troubles and personal bankruptcy that accompanied the sad news of Bauhaus’s demise.

Debuting in 1993 at the corner of Melrose and Pine and known for its “strong coffee” and book-lined walls, Bauhaus was loved for its library-like feel, plentiful tables, and long hours — 6 AM to 1 AM.

The new joint has a more typical cafe business schedule, open until 9 PM every day.

Bauhaus is trying something new, however with its new lease on life on Capitol Hill. The new smaller location will test a new concept for Bauhaus of a smaller cafe with a focus beyond coffee that will — eventually — include beer, wine, and a bottle shop. Its liquor license is still a work in progress, Patel says.

For now, Bauhaus is back in the coffee, pastry, and lingering business on Capitol Hill.

Bauhaus Capitol Hill is now open at 515 Harvard Ave E. You can learn more at bauhausstrong.coffee.

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