Bull McCabe’s Irish Pub had become a downtown Durham staple in one of the smallest commercial buildings at the Five Points intersection. As the city and the pub’s following grew, the tight historic space couldn’t keep up. When an adjacent parcel opened up, ownership saw a chance to turn a beloved neighborhood bar into a true outdoor destination.
They asked Incline to design and build an outdoor addition that respected the historic building while creating something downtown didn’t yet have: a covered, heated patio for year‑round use and an open lawn flexible enough for weddings, big match days, and weeknight events—all without disrupting day‑to‑day operations.
The build
Incline delivered a major outdoor expansion on a constrained historic urban site, extending the pub’s footprint without disturbing the original masonry structure. The project centered on a wraparound covered patio, engineered for year‑round use with integrated heating and seating for nearly 85 guests, plus a graded and landscaped lawn sized for picnic tables, lawn games, and live music.
Work was carefully sequenced with the City of Durham and within the Downtown Durham Historic District requirements, keeping the existing pub open throughout construction. In roughly four to six months, Bull McCabe’s gained one of downtown Durham’s largest and most versatile outdoor spaces—matching the scale of its role in the community.
