New London — A developer with two completed downtown rehabilitation projects under his belt is undertaking the overhaul of the former Royal Hotel and longtime Bank Street staple Ernie’s Café.

Yehuda Amar has started restoration of the building at 53-55 Bank St., where he is converting 20 rooms on the top two floors into eight luxury one- and two-bedroom apartments.

Renovations also are well underway in the street-level space that housed Ernie’s Café. A beloved watering hole that closed in 2015, Ernie’s also had a gritty reputation and a troubled history of violence, including at least three shootings in or around the bar between 2004 and 2007.

Once the location of Bacon’s Hotel, the three-story structure that now stands at the site was built in 1897 and was known as the Gavitt Building.

Ernie’s will be replaced with Bar on Bank, run by two enthusiastic first-time restaurant owners that are aiming for a more family-friendly atmosphere in the new establishment.

The bar is being leased by the tag-team of David Aponte, who is just days away from retirement after 20 years in the Navy, and Ashley Holley, a New London native and former car salesman at M.J. Sullivan.

Looking for an investment opportunity, Holley previously had placed a bid for ownership on the former Y-Knot Café at 12 Bank St. and had called Aponte for ideas on a menu. Holley was friendly with Aponte, having sold him several cars over the years, and knew about his culinary background.

He also knows Aponte as a stickler for details and said, “I trust him.”

Aponte, who will serve as executive chef in the new joint, said he has 10 years of off-and-on experience, including classes at Johnson & Wales and work at David Burke Prime at Foxwoods and The Essex in Centerbrook, along with catering work.

Holley’s call sparked Aponte’s interest in a partnership. The two began brainstorming.

“This was always my passion,” Aponte said. “We talked about ideas and kind of put our minds together.”

Those ideas never came to fruition because someone else bought the former Y-Knot; it has since opened as Le Bank. 

That was a blessing in disguise, Holley said. The two crossed paths with Amar and were able to get in at the ground level of his newest renovation project.

Holley said the new restaurant will serve what he described as American fusion cuisine that will incorporate some Latin and Asian elements. They hope to open by April.

“I believe in these guys,” Amar said. “I think they’re going to do good.”

Amar is an Israeli-trained architect with business ventures in Manhattan, Long Island, Israel and elsewhere. Amar’s wife, Ilene, is a member of the family that operated J. Solomon on Bank Street.

He remains bullish on Bank Street development and said, “I don’t put my money in if I don’t expect a return.” He said he also wants to be part of the solution to the problem of empty storefronts. More people living in downtown and more open businesses is good for everyone, he said.

Amar, doing business with partner Joe Grillo as Academy Group Properties and Y&J Waterview, has completed work on other prominent Bank Street properties.

He renovated 153 Bank St., the former Modern Electric, with three street-level retail spaces and six luxury apartments upstairs. His previous project was the restoration of 147 Bank St., which contains one street-level retail shop and three upstairs apartments.

All the apartments are rented and two of the retail spaces are now home to Credabel Coral Laboratory & Gallery and Hot on Bank Yoga Studio.

“I tried with two buildings. It worked for me. As an investor, I look forward to buying more,” Amar said.

As of this week, the interior of the former Ernie’s was completely gutted, with a team busy installing a new HVAC system. There will be a new kitchen and bathrooms compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act, front windows and entrances to allow for separation of the bar and restaurant areas. Half of the space was being used for storage when it was occupied by Ernie’s.

Interior walls were torn down to uncover a set of windows facing an alley. Amar said he plans to replace the windows and keep them uncovered, with some frosted glass panes to add a bit of natural light to the space.

Longtime former Ernie’s employees Janice Noyce and Donna Atkinson got a quick sneak peek of the new interior when they stuck their heads in on Wednesday during a visit to the nearby bank.

Atkinson, wearing an Ernie’s hoodie, spent 32 years behind the bar at Ernie’s. Noyce worked there for 10 years and said she is now the permittee at the Retired Armed Forces Association on Garfield Avenue.

“I really miss the place. It’s just sad,” Atkinson said. “I met a lot of really good people over the years. There were some tough nights. I stayed through thick and thin.”

Atkinson said she even lived upstairs for a time. Amar said the finished upstairs apartments, with river views, will not resemble what had been rooms that shared common bathrooms. He expects monthly rent for the apartments to range from $1,400 to $1,600.

After ample notice, he has evicted the current tenants, who were monthly boarders, he said.

Amar remains upbeat about downtown New London.

“I like the city. I like the downtown ... the retail stores, the diversity of restaurants and people,” he said.

g.smith@theday.com