Humphrey's alert!

After 40 years as a home away from home for generations of St. Louis University students, Humphrey's Restaurant & Tavern is about to close. The lights will go out and the beer taps will run dry after a big party New Year's Eve.

No worries, though. As Building Blocks reported in September, a new Humphrey's will replace the current one in the same location at 3700 Laclede Avenue.

Bernie Squitieri, who bought the bar in May, said Sunday his plans remain unchanged. Demolition will likely begin in early March with the new and bigger Humphrey's open for business next fall.

What's new is the announcement of the current bar's closing date: Jan. 1. Humphrey's made the announcement Saturday in an email and on Facebook and Twitter.

"We wanted to get the word out to all the loyal customers to come in one last time to say goodbye," said Squitieri, adding that the Facebook announcement produced more than 700 responses.

Among them was a SLU grad who commented: "*sigh* The end of an era. I will definitely stop by before The End. I will miss the Original Humphrey's. Many good memories there since i moved here in 1978."