The Irish Punt, the classic pub that was tucked into 40 Exchange Place near the corner with William, closed last Friday after 31 years in Fidi — a casualty of the conversion boom going on now in the neighborhood. And the owner had such a beautiful letter to her customers and staff in the Downtown Alliance that I had to reprint.

“The Irish Punt was known as a community pub, a neighborhood staple in the financial district, with some of the best regular customers any business could wish for,” owner Deirdre O’Sullivan told the Downtown Alliance in an email. “It was an unassuming, no-frills space that felt welcoming to all.”

“It’s true that people make a place, and we have been incredibly fortunate to have had the very best customers, and by far the best staff since opening our doors in 1995,” Deidre added. “I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. To the phenomenal staff, past and present — thank you is not enough…you made this bar feel like home to everyone who entered its doors. I am forever grateful for your dedication and love.”

“And most importantly, to you all, our very loyal customers — the regulars, the newcomers and the friends who became family over the years — thank you, we could not have done it without your continued support.”

“Since first opening in 1995, we have been more than just a pub. We have been a living room, a confidant, a first-date spot, and a place where thousands of different stories began and ended and then some! Having watched Downtown Manhattan change and grow, we feel honored to have been a constant in this city’s ever-changing landscape.”

GFP, Jeffrey Gural’s firm, filed a permits to convert the office building at 40 Exchange Place to mixed-use this past July. The Real Deal reported that the project will produce 382 residential units and retail in the 20-story building.

The firm is also converting 100 Gold and 25 Water, the latter being the largest conversion in the country, and 222 Broadway.

The Real Deal noted that the 19th-century building is still occupied with commercial tenants, some of whom signed multi-year leases in 2023. GFP and Northwind Group bought the building in 2015 for $115 million and spent $20 million then on a renovation.