In April 1890, a man named James Conroy filed a petition to “sell intoxicating liquors” at 1712 Aliceanna St. A bar of one kind or another appears to have been operating there ever since (presumably with a break during Prohibition). When the most recent incarnation, Birds of a Feather, shut down last April, it closed a 44-year chapter in the building’s history.

That quirky scotch bar’s many hardcore fans will likely breathe a sigh of relief walking into The Wren, a pub from chef Will Mester of Le Comptoir du Vin that is the newest occupant of 1712. The original 19th-century wooden bar is still in place, and the scotch selection remains abundant.

But there are additions, too, that should entice Baltimoreans from around the city. The vibe is a homey time warp, with linen curtains concealing a record player behind the bar. On the wall: a century-old clock, on loan from a customer in the neighborhood. On tap: Guinness and a funky farmhouse cider from England, among other options. For dessert, madeleines baked to order by Mester’s wife, Millie Powell, an Ireland native and driving force behind the pub.

Note that The Wren is a bar, not a restaurant. Mester said that after 15 years in the hospitality industry — during which he’s achieved the kinds of recognition many chefs would kill for — he’s fallen “more and more out of love with restaurants.” He’s bored by demands for sleek and tidy presentation and show-offy technique. From two small burners by the bar at The Wren, he serves heaping bowls of cabbage soup and cassoulet for dinner, the kind of simple fare he’s increasingly made his signature at Le Comptoir du Vin.

But don’t think there’s any slacking here. Mester fully sweats the small stuff: The bacon in the cabbage soup comes from a farm in California that uses celery salt to cure its meat. A whole kid goat was flown in from a farm in Colorado by a specialty game purveyor. Other products are found closer to home: sausage from Ostrowski’s of Bank Street, bread from Ovenbird served with heaps of butter.

While Mester’s cooking up a storm at The Wren, Baltimore’s foodies may be wondering who’s in the kitchen at Le Comptoir du Vin. The Station North restaurant — named to Bon Appétit’s “Hot 10″ list a few years ago — is in the steady hands of cofounder Rosemary Liss. Liss, who started out handling front of house operations there, began helping out in the restaurant’s kitchen more and more during the pandemic and now runs the show. Liss is a partner in The Wren and handling the business side of operations, while Mester said he and Powell will continue to offer input on the menu at Le Comptoir du Vin.

The pub’s name is both an homage to Baltimore‘s bird iconography and a reference to the somewhat grisly ancient Celtic tradition in which a wren is killed and paraded through town. Wren’s Day, just after Christmas, is still celebrated in Powell’s hometown of Dublin, where she met Mester a few years ago. There, “the pub is such an integral part of our community” where people gather after christenings, first communions and funerals alike, Powell said. “It’s not always about drinking.”

The Wren aims to recapture that spirit. In the rear of the building is a carpeted lounge with low, wooden tables and a wood-burning fireplace. You aren’t allowed to eat in there, though, per a somewhat idiosyncratic house rule. Mester envisions the space becoming home to Irish literature book clubs or live bands playing traditional Irish music. There will be celebrations for Bloomsday in June, and next month for St. Patrick’s Day, but don’t expect green beer. You may not get kicked out if you dare to order an Irish car bomb, “but you will certainly get enlightened,” Mester said. No black and tans, either.

Bartenders set the tone for an establishment and The Wren has industry veteran Adam Estes, previously of the Mount Royal Tavern, leading that department. Estes can claim credit for having introduced Mester to Birds of a Feather shortly after its owner, Alicia Horn Merritt, told customers she wanted to sell. It was just weeks after that fateful visit that Mester said he asked Merritt what her price was.

Estes was “ecstatic” when he found out Mester and Powell planned to take over Birds of a Feather, which had been one of his favorite bars in the city. Like many, he has mourned the loss of so many iconic places in Baltimore through the years. He knew the couple would create a place that was authentic to the character of the space and all that had come before. “A lot of times now, people go, ‘Oh, let’s just gut this whole thing and make it into something else,’” Estes said. ”And you’re just like, ‘Maybe that’s not the way you should do things.’”

At a time when Fells Point tends to make headlines for yet another business closing its doors, Mester is reinvigorated by his new neighborhood, enchanted by its diversity and old world charms. He smiled as he recounted a recent trip to Ostrowski’s to pick up sausage for the cassoulet. He arrived just before closing to realize they are cash-only.

Old school, just like him.