A LANDMARK Hull pub is to be transformed into a home for music and the arts by the owner of Fruit and the Welly Club.
Dave Mays has taken over The Polar Bear in Spring Bank and hopes to foster a bohemian atmosphere as well as linking it to his other venues.
Mr Mays had been trying to buy the pub for about two years from the brewery that previously owned it.
After a succession of different landlords failed to make it work, the brewery finally agreed to the sale and he was handed the keys on Friday.
"Everybody else is opening bars at the moment – let's get back to the original boozer," he said.
"This is the town centre now, really. If you look at what old, traditional pubs are left in town, there are very few.
"The HU5 postcode area is the hub for musicians and artists in the city and we're right on the corner."
The aim is to bring together people who visit Welly and Fruit in one place by offering something for everyone.
Bands from the Humber Street venue will be showcasing their music on a new sound system and city company Pie will provide hot food on weekends.
There will be a selection of real ales and lagers on offer now the pub is no longer tied to one brewery.
"I don't think a pub is anything to be ashamed of," said Chris Frost, who will be managing The Polar Bear.
"We all like bars, but let's have a meeting place for creative folk.
"Being a local company, we've got a good understanding of the clientele and the place."
Another key reason for Mr Mays's interest in the pub is its proximity to the KC Stadium.
He hopes to draw in Hull City fans on match days and hopes to establish The Polar Bear as a place to watch away games.
"We will be showing the football and, because we're close to the KC, we will be doing City nights," he said.
"We're going to be putting live bands on, too.
"We will be doing original bands and cover bands."
The pub's name comes from the days it was opposite Hull's old zoo. It is also one of only 11 pubs in the country with a ceramic bar.
Mr Mays, who has spent about £25,000 doing it up, would like to see it become a more celebrated par of Hull's heritage.
"It's not been too bad sorting the pub out," he said.
"It was in quite good condition and it was clean.
"We want to take it back to its former glory. It's an iconic Hull pub."
Mr Mays is appealing for old photographs of the pub, or of the polar bear at Hull zoo it was named after. Anyone who can help should pay him a visit.
• The Polar Bear will be open to the public on Friday night for the first time since its new owners took over. Its normal hours will be 7pm-midnight, Monday to Thursday; 5pm-midnight on Friday; Noon-midnight on Saturday and Sunday.