There’s no word on when ground will be broken for the North 40 mixed-use development in Los Gatos, but the wrecking ball is already aimed at the Boulevard Tavern; it will close April 25. Sometime after that, the former biker bar will be leveled to make room for one of the development’s entrances.

“The homes are going up first and unfortunately the entryway cuts directly through me,” Boulevard Tavern owner Mikey Ellenburg said.

The first phase of the North 40 development calls for building 320 homes, and 66,000 square feet of commercial and retail space. The property is on the last walnut orchard in Los Gatos and borders Lark Avenue, highways 17 and 85, and Los Gatos Boulevard.

The Boulevard Tavern is at 15403 Los Gatos Blvd. The original building was constructed in 1933 and has housed many businesses over the years, including a bar named “Jen’s.”

“Jen’s bartenders wore pressed white shirts and bow ties,” Ellenburg said. “I pulled out a cooler about 15 years ago and found pictures from Jen’s, including one with a 1957 Chevy that had Jen’s written on the side.”

The Jen’s photos have apparently been lost to history, Ellenburg said.

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Later, the bar was called “Otto’s,” a biker bar that wasn’t always popular with locals. The biker days ended around 1997 and there was a failed attempt to turn it into a steak house before Ellenburg opened the Boulevard Tavern in 2001. Regulars now call it the “Bully.”

“I didn’t come here during the biker era,” regular Brian Chiala said. “I didn’t come here until it turned into the Bully. It’s a testament to Mikey that he accepts everybody here. I like the diversity of people, with construction workers and Sharks’ coaches sitting next to someone like me. I come in here dirty after softball games.”

Ellenburg has ingratiated himself to the community by sponsoring two softball teams, and hosting fundraisers, reunions and parties.

“The place was a menace when I took over years ago. I risked my life to make it respectable,” Ellenburg said. “Now, I have a group of women who come in once or twice a year for Girls’ Night Out and they’re like, ‘Wow, this dive bar is pretty cool.’ I decorate the place and get a DJ for them.”

That’s one reason why regular Amy Despars is sad to see the Bully go.

“This little bar used to be a biker bar and an eyesore on Los Gatos Boulevard,” Despars said in an email. “Mikey turned it into a place for locals to have fundraisers, birthday celebrations and just good old-fashioned fun without having to pay a cover or head downtown.”

Ellenburg has been offered a spot in the North 40, but he estimates it will be at least two years before it will be ready.

“They have a subterranean spot for me that will be like a speakeasy,” Ellenburg said. “That’s going to be cool. I’ll take some of the pieces of history from here and put them in the new place.”

So, the Metallica pinball machine and Tom Brady football jersey may live to see another day.

Although Ellenburg has been looking for a temporary landing place while the North 40 is built, he’s not optimistic he’ll be able to open something new, quickly. So, he’s focused now on building a future that pays homage to the Bully’s colorful past and he waits for news from the North 40 developers.