Where Else moves back to State Street amid closure of Chauncey Hill Mall, opening in August

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — The move of Where Else Bar has been a long time coming, but owner Jordan Hassan will tell you that's due to more than one reason.

After the few remaining Chauncey Hill Mall tenants were mailed certified notices to vacate the property by Aug. 1 in order to make way for a new 13-story high rise development , Hassan said his dream of moving Where Else back onto State Street was revived.

Standing inside Where Else's new location at 308 State St. in West Lafayette amid a flurry of construction crews, Hassan said it feels great to be "back."

"Back when Where Else was right over here on the corner, we would have people going back and forth between us, Brother's, Jake's and Harry's," Hassan explained. "But when we moved around the corner into the Chauncey Hill Mall, we became off the beaten path."

Where Else will rejoin that "beaten path" on Aug. 21, when the bar celebrates its grand reopening at the three-story venue. Before that calendar date comes, however, Hassan said he and his crew of roughly 50 workers have what would normally be about six month's worth of reconstruction work to squeeze into one month's time.

But after nearly two decades working in the campus bar scene, Hassan isn't sweating it.

Out with the old, in with the new

While finishing his degree at Purdue University in the spring of 2008, Hassan got his foot in the door of the campus bar scene at the Wabash Yacht Club working as security, eventually working his way up as the assistant general manager.

Hassan had plans to attend law school in the fall but decided to defer his acceptance to continue working at the bar. When the Yacht Club closed its doors in 2009, Hassan said he walked across the street to Where Else hoping to find another job.

Starting out as a bartender, Hassan worked his way up the chain of management once again, ultimately becoming the sole owner of Where Else by the start of 2023.

Moving the bar back to State Street is a task Hassan said he had been interested since last summer, but plans never came to fruition in time. When the opportunity presented itself shortly after he received the certified notice to vacate the Chauncey Hill Mall in June, Hassan managed to take over the lease at 308 State St., effectively dissolving the 308 On State Street bar brand.

Given his history with campus bars, Hassan understands how to keep a crowded bar flowing smoothly ― a streamlined process of equipment behind the bar, space for patrons to move about freely to avoid bottlenecking, and a simplified kitchen.

To get to that desired status for the new space, everything needs moved and torn out, Hassan said.

"To get this done before the new semester, I am pretty much here 24/7, so I might as well put a shower in the back and a bed in the basement," Hassan joked.

While the former Where Else locations didn't have a kitchen, Hassan said the large kitchen space in the new location is a welcome addition. Burgers, fries, wraps and salads are what Hassan expects to be on the menu, aiming to keep the offerings simple with good quality.

Although it's a race to get the bar in working order before his Aug. 21 date amid Purdue's classes resuming, one thing he won't be bringing back to the new space is Breakfast Club.

But that isn't something he takes lightly, knowing it's a long-standing tradition among alumni.

"It's just a dying tradition," Hassan explained. "The numbers we used to get from being open for specially Breakfast Club just aren't there anymore."

Where Else will still be open on game day Saturdays, he explained, but the bar won't open in the early hours of the morning like Breakfast Clubs traditionally have operated. Given the addition of the kitchen space, the new Monday through Sunday hours for the bar will be from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m.

Honoring the three eras of Where Else

With each move Where Else has made, it's also seen growth. Going from just under 5,000-square feet in the Chauncey Hill Mall location to just under 7,000-square feet in the new State Street location gives Hassan a bit more to play with.

Having three levels of the bar, Hassan said he plans to honor the three eras of Where Else through its with décor, with the top floor to be decorated reflecting the latest move.

Each floor will have designated DJ booths with matching plans for VIP bottle service areas, aiming to redesign the spaces as easier venues to maneuver about while allowing for dancing.

Walking throughout the three levels of the bar, Hassan continues to find unexpected things needing his attention. Fountain soda lines, busted speakers, doors with incorrect locks — everything has to go.

The challenge of an extreme makeover for the bar in such a short amount of time is a daunting thought, but Hassan and his crew are moving quickly, knocking out significant construction tasks each day.

While Hassan is excited and relieved to know Where Else is back on State street, he's still thankful for the time the bar spent in the Chauncey Hill Mall.

"It's the end of an era," he said. "It's sad, but I'm just thankful to see something finally happening with the mall."

Jillian Ellison is a reporter for the Journal and Courier. She can be reached via email at jellison@gannett.com. Follow her on X at @ellison_writes.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Where Else moves back to State Street amid closure of Chauncey Hill Mall, opening in August