A well-known building that survived the Halifax Explosion has fallen victim to vandalism.

The owners of Henry House Pub are dealing with thousands of dollars in damage caused by senseless vandalism -- right before the busy tourism season.

The pub has been a fixture in downtown Halifax for almost two centuries.

From the front, there's no indication anything is out of place at Henry House. Even when you step inside the historic restaurant and pub, you need to look closely to see the damage.

But it's there.

“It was evident that whatever had gone on was more than just a break-in,” said owner Donna Alsop.

The owners say someone broke into the building on Monday.

Windows and a door on the upper level were smashed and ivy was ripped off the outside wall, causing thousands of dollars in damage.

"The minimum for us, would be $5,000,” Alsop said. “Everyone assumes, ‘oh, you've got insurance and insurance will cover it,’ but, insurance, you have to pay out before insurance kicks in. So, that would be the minimum.”

The incident is upsetting for the family run establishment, which has a long history in Halifax.

The building was built in the 1830s out of Scottish stone.

It was once home to William Alexander Henry.

“We have met hundreds, if not, thousands of people who have some connection to the Henry House,” Alsop said. “They've worked here over the years, they remember the Granite Brewery days. We just had a couple here take their wedding pictures in this room, because they met here.”

Despite the damage, the restaurant is choosing to stay open.

“At first, we thought, ah, we're gonna have to close, how can we carry on and there's so much work to do and there's so much heartbreak, actually, when something like this happens. There's a lot of emotion involved and then when we start to think about the staff, but, also, we think about all the people who already had plans, so it's kind of like, this building has endured right through all of those years, so, it's our job to keep on going.”

Halifax Regional Police say someone called them to report a shirtless man on the roof of Henry House damaging windows with a stick.

The owners say they're grateful for the anonymous tipster.

“This event was stopped by the police arriving promptly and that's because of the 911 call,” Alsop said. “So, I'd like to give a big shout out to them and to all people that take the time to call 911, because, they're the ones looking out for other people.”

An 18-year-old man is now facing charges of break and enter.

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Natasha Pace.