A Building That Is Still Standing Has Already Rearranged South Main Street
October 8, 2026
October 8, 2026
For more than ten years, the clearest sign of Tuk Tuk Thai Cuisine on South Main Street was its turquoise sign. You reached the dining room by a steep staircase on a side street off the main drag, and Pannipa Pace's kitchen served Tom Yum soup and drunken noodles below the sidewalk from 2015 on.
That staircase now leads to a closed restaurant. Tuk Tuk serves from a ground-level storefront at 44 South Main Street. Walt & Ernie's Barbershop is next door to it at 42. Both moves happened because of a building that, as of the most recent reporting, nobody has started tearing down.
The demolition planned behind 5 South Main is still waiting on a start date. Even so, it has moved two longtime tenants and changed which blocks of South Main get the most foot traffic. The other changes on the street this year make more sense once you see that.
Jon Livadas, a Dartmouth alum, owns the building at 5–15 South Main. His plan is to take down the roughly 100-year-old rear portion and build housing in its place. The Hanover Planning Board approved the final site plan with conditions and waivers on July 22, 2025, and every member voted in favor.
The unit count depends on which document you read. The application before the Planning Board described 44 residential units on the site. Valley News reported in August 2025 that this meant 31 new apartments plus 13 existing ones, and its 2026 coverage calls the planned building 35 units. None of the coverage explains the gap.
The timeline has also slipped. Filings reported in August 2025 had construction starting in April 2026 and finishing in October 2027. In February 2026, Livadas told Valley News he didn't have "a firm start date" for demolition. He said much the same in June. The Planning Board agenda for October 6, 2026 doesn't list the project. Zoning and building permits are handled within the town office, so the agenda says nothing either way about where those stand.
The front of the building is staying. Dirt Cowboy, Murphy's on the Green and Simon Pearce keep their storefronts. The two tenants in the rear annex had to find new space.
Without a demolition date, the moves came one at a time as each tenant found space:
So the two businesses that shared the old building ended up side by side in new ones.
"We were next to each other before, and we'll be next to each other again. Who would have guessed."
Carol Eastman, who owns the barbershop, said that in February, before Tuk Tuk had opened its new doors.
The new Tuk Tuk is a different kind of room from the old one. The building faces the Hanover Park plaza. Ken Pace put down epoxy floors and painted the walls turquoise with white and gold accents, which he said give the room an "ocean effect." The space already had a kitchen, and the couple added new equipment. It seats about 130 people across the dining room and patio.
By February, the renovation and new appliances had cost about $150,000, and Ken Pace expected to spend roughly $25,000 more. For a restaurant that had worked out of a basement for over a decade, that is a big bet on being visible from the sidewalk. Pannipa Pace put it simply. "I'm excited," she said. "We don't have to be underground anymore."
The couple also planned outdoor seating with a custom-made tent on the patio for warmer months. "It's tucked right in and you're out of the wind," Ken Pace said. On a street where Murphy's on the Green and Dirt Cowboy have long drawn the crowds, the move put a restaurant with planned patio seating a few doors farther down South Main.
Pannipa Pace said the menu would stay largely the same, and she planned to add sushi. The new hours are 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.
Tuk Tuk and the barbershop weren't the only new arrivals in the 40s and 50s of South Main this year. Two more storefronts opened within a few doors.
At 57 South Main Street, Suite 101, franchisees Carrie and Josh Ayers built out a Playa Bowls in the former Nest Kitchen and Cafe space. "A lot of Playa Bowls are located near colleges," they told Valley News in February, when they were aiming for an April opening. No public source confirms the exact opening day. The company's location page now lists the shop as open every day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Two doors down, at 53 South Main, Kyle Timothy Fine Art held its grand opening on Thursday, July 23, after a few weeks of quieter operation. Founder Kyle Timothy Blood, a Dartmouth alumnus, described it as "a home gallery for Dartmouth alumni working in the arts."
Between 42 and 57, South Main now has a barbershop, a Thai restaurant, a gallery and a bowl shop that weren't at those addresses a year ago. Only one other change on the street this year has been nearly as large, and it is still a fundraising goal.
Ledyard Park is planned for South Main Street between Ledyard National Bank and 4U Bubble Tea. Ledyard Bank owns the land. It gave the Town of Hanover a 20-year license at no cost in exchange for naming rights. Hanover Parks & Recreation would maintain the park and arrange town programming such as performances or themed events. Other groups could rent it for a small cleanup fee.
The design in April called for eight tables and four large benches, with shade for the summer. The town's project page adds a stage for community performances, room for a food truck and a public art installation. Local architects Sloane Mayor and Chris Kennedy of MA+KE Architects and landscape architect Paul Simon of Park Architecture donated much of the design work.
| Ledyard Park, by the numbers | Figure | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated total cost | About $410,000 | April 2026 |
| Raised at the time | About $170,000 | April 2026 |
| Town's share for design | About $30,000 | April 2026 |
| Progress toward the goal | 75% | July 9, 2026 |
| Engraved brick, 4×8 | $300 | Current project page |
| Engraved brick, 8×8 | $600 | Current project page |
Most of the remaining money is coming from the Upper Valley Business Alliance's sale of engraved bricks, which will be laid in the seating area. Ledyard National Bank, Dartmouth College, the Town of Hanover, the Jack & Dorothy Byrne Foundation and the Hanover Rotary Club have pledged money toward permitting and construction support.
The opening date is still uncertain. In April, Valley News reported that construction was planned for the summer, with a possible mid-June finish for phase one: groundwork, tables and benches, but not the steel canopy or the speaker and lighting work. The project page's July update aimed to welcome the community "by Fall 2026." No published report through early October confirms that it has opened. Janice Dheng, who owns 4U Bubble Tea next door, welcomed a place where people could "sit outside and enjoy the sunshine."
The building behind 5 South Main is still standing, as far as any public report shows, while its former tenants have spent a season in their new spaces. The front building with Dirt Cowboy, Murphy's on the Green and Simon Pearce is set to stay whatever happens behind it. When demolition and construction do start, they will happen next to blocks that have already filled in.
If you're thinking about how changes like these on South Main might affect the value of a home in or near downtown Hanover, Sandy Reavill can walk you through what we're seeing. Request a free home valuation and we'll start with your address.
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