I commented on Obscura's Facebook post and was subsequently asked to come check it out tonight since they wanted to keep everything under wraps until the unveiling.

 

I think I'll take a night in watching movies and staying warm instead.

 

I went there once for an art opening in the Thompson Room (basement) and had a great time.

Council action may allow for more Downtown bars

Sharon Coolidge, [email protected] 7:51 p.m. EST February 23, 2015

 

 

Downtown developer Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation is pitching a plan to bring more bar and entertainment venues Downtown, despite state laws that cap the number of liquor licenses allowed within city limits.

 

The developer has requested the city add two community entertainment districts to Downtown, which would allow for up to 21 new liquor licenses.

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/government/2015/02/23/downtown-liquor-license-expansion-considered/23889457/

Council action may allow for more Downtown bars

Sharon Coolidge, [email protected] 7:51 p.m. EST February 23, 2015

 

 

Downtown developer Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation is pitching a plan to bring more bar and entertainment venues Downtown, despite state laws that cap the number of liquor licenses allowed within city limits.

 

The developer has requested the city add two community entertainment districts to Downtown, which would allow for up to 21 new liquor licenses.

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/government/2015/02/23/downtown-liquor-license-expansion-considered/23889457/

 

The West District is bizarre in that a) it's so small, b) all six new licenses would be controlled by 3CDC, and c) it includes a block that only has church and a low-income housing apartment.

Here are the blocks that are included in the West District:

• the Convention Center
  
• Dunnhumby Centre / Millenium Hotel
  
• Saks / 4th & Race Tower
  
• block southwest of 7th and Central Page that has Page Tower - a 169-unit apartment community under the HUD Section 8 - and Union Baptist Church
  

 

Why would that last block be included, unless 3CDC is planning on acquiring those properties?

 

The west block really confused me as well. In addition to your observations, it also excludes the area around 4th and plum that is ripe for redevelopment; Mainstay and Tina's are a couple bars in that area already and there are plenty of vacant storefronts. It's also odd the district stretches all the way over to I-75, aside from the Section 8 housing and church, there's a severely underutilized park. If the Brent Spence is ever built, the spaghetti onramps in this area will supposedly be packed tighter together and free up real estate.

I wonder if their reasoning is because the city knows things we don't? It has been said that they've been in talks with various developers looking to work Downtown. Maybe there's a project or two in the works they're hoping to capture? Otherwise it does just seem like a really weird boundary for such a district.

Yeah - the West district would make much more sense if it included all of 4th Street over to Central Ave. The odd shape of the district was the only reason I even bothered to look at what was in the corner of 7th and Central... which doesn't make any sense as part of an entertainment district, in its current form.

Most likely needed to stretch the area to include more residential population to get the desired number of liquor licenses for their planned Race Street Corridor, no?

What are the requirements for creating these districts? Is population a factor? Because if it is then that would definitely make sense. Stretch it a bit to grab those residents but put the bars/restaurants closer to the center of Downtown.

That section of the West District (Central Ave) was just put in a TIF district late last year btw.

I don't know how liqour licenses work, are they to be able to serve beer and liqour or just liquor?

Totally off topic...I've always felt chili places should have beer too...I think it makes sense, but don't know how all that works.

That section of the West District (Central Ave) was just put in a TIF district late last year btw.

 

Good point. The city and 3CDC must have something planned for that area.

I don't know how liqour licenses work, are they to be able to serve beer and liqour or just liquor?

Totally off topic...I've always felt chili places should have beer too...I think it makes sense, but don't know how all that works.

 

A liquor license lets you sell any alcohol that's legal in Ohio. I believe you can also get a beer/wine license. The Skyline by GABP serves beer.

Camp Washington Chili also serves beer.

 

I don't know how liqour licenses work, are they to be able to serve beer and liqour or just liquor?

Totally off topic...I've always felt chili places should have beer too...I think it makes sense, but don't know how all that works.

 

A liquor license lets you sell any alcohol that's legal in Ohio. I believe you can also get a beer/wine license. The Skyline by GABP serves beer.

Sweet thanks for the info.  I was just thinking how big of a boost to local beer that would be if say every skyline in the city had a few local beers on tap.

http://m.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/03/10/here-s-when-otr-s-first-beercade-is-opening.html

 

Yay very excited to go here! The one in Cbus is awesome.

New Club opening in OTR. Grand Opening this Friday. Apparently not specifically orientated for gay people...

 

A new dance club with more than 6,500 square feet in the old Red Cheetah space is bringing a little glitter back to Over-the-Rhine.

Club Glitter is hosting its grand opening at 1133 Sycamore St. in OTR on April 24. Doors open at 10 p.m., and the event features Kandy Ho, a cast member from Logo TV's "RuPaul's Drag Race." Another show contestant Kenya Michaels will be the featured guest on April 25.

The club is being opened by a handful of owners, but they weren't named in a news release.

Club Glitter will offer nearly nightly entertainment ranging from female impersonation, comedy acts, live bands and celebrities from reality TV shows.

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/04/21/this-stretch-of-sycamore-is-about-to-go-from.html

I really can't see this doing very well. There's so much opposition to new gay bars in this city and it comes from two groups. The Dock group and the Below Zero group. They set out to put new competitors out of business. As such nobody with a really good idea bothers because they don't want to deal with that crap so we're left with places like Diamond Palace and undoubtedly this place.

 

Why can Louisville have Play and The Connection yet we can't have anything better than Below Zero which is incredibly mediocre at best? It's unfortunate.

Isn't Sycamore kind of where bars go to die?

 

I always thought it would be fun to open a gay club in this beauty: https://www.google.com/maps/@39.111268,-84.515517,3a,75y,85.53h,101.89t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sxbeVUt1at9BMrUL2Sj00NA!2e0

I really can't see this doing very well. There's so much opposition to new gay bars in this city and it comes from two groups. The Dock group and the Below Zero group. They set out to put new competitors out of business. As such nobody with a really good idea bothers because they don't want to deal with that crap so we're left with places like Diamond Palace and undoubtedly this place.

 

Why can Louisville have Play and The Connection yet we can't have anything better than Below Zero which is incredibly mediocre at best? It's unfortunate.

 

Ever since PLAY opened, the connection has been kind of a joke. The drag show is a hot mess. But it is much less crazy than PLAY. Louisville also has Tryangles, Chill Bar, Nowhere Bar, Big Bar, Teddy Bears as gay/gay-friendly bars, plus Vapor, which is a new 'hotel' (read: bathhouse). Cincinnati still has BZ, Simon Says, On Broadway, Pink Triangle, The Dock (i'm sure others).

 

A big difference, too, between Louisville and Cincinnati is that Louisville is the only real city in Kentucky/Southern Indiana. It's where all the gays go for nightlife. Cincy has to compete more with Indy and Columbus.

Isn't Sycamore kind of where bars go to die?

 

Technically only Club CLAU faced Sycamore.  That's the dead-looking 1960s thingy that is still there which backs up to the old Red Cheetah building. There were coffee shops/art galleries in the Cogswell Building and those pastel buildings across the street in the late 90s that all died unremarkable deaths.  Believe it or not The Diner was a real beehive of activity in the mid-90s.  I remember it being absolutely packed on Friday and Saturday nights, back when the Main St. gallery walk was still a big deal.  The gallery walk was still big until about 2003-04.  There were galleries on Sycamore, Main, and Clay. 

 

 

I really can't see this doing very well. There's so much opposition to new gay bars in this city and it comes from two groups. The Dock group and the Below Zero group. They set out to put new competitors out of business. As such nobody with a really good idea bothers because they don't want to deal with that crap so we're left with places like Diamond Palace and undoubtedly this place.

 

Why can Louisville have Play and The Connection yet we can't have anything better than Below Zero which is incredibly mediocre at best? It's unfortunate.

 

Ever since PLAY opened, the connection has been kind of a joke. The drag show is a hot mess. But it is much less crazy than PLAY. Louisville also has Tryangles, Chill Bar, Nowhere Bar, Big Bar, Teddy Bears as gay/gay-friendly bars, plus Vapor, which is a new 'hotel' (read: bathhouse). Cincinnati still has BZ, Simon Says, On Broadway, Pink Triangle, The Dock (i'm sure others).

 

A big difference, too, between Louisville and Cincinnati is that Louisville is the only real city in Kentucky/Southern Indiana. It's where all the gays go for nightlife. Cincy has to compete more with Indy and Columbus.

 

That's true. We're kind of centrally located directly between two places the gays flock to. Which sucks because our options are plain bad. BZ is the best in Cincy and it's just okay. The rest aren't fun places to be. And we no longer have an actual club. The Dock is closest but frankly...it's disgusting. Adonis was fun but was in such a strange location, which was fine, but that's no longer in existence. All the gays in Cincinnati agree that a high quality gay bar would put all the others out of business because that's what we're all looking for and just don't have that option.

I heard through a credible source that a Pedal Wagon driver was seriously injured by the Pedal Wagon on the weekend of April 24-25.  The Pedal Wagon had no passengers while traveling down Walnut or one of the sloped streets between 3rd and 4th when it pulled over to let an ambulance pass.  The wagon's reverse wasn't working so the driver got out to push it uphill a few feet so that it could get around a parked car.  He slipped and the Pedal Wagon crushed his arm against the rear bumper of the parked car. 

That's too bad about the driver.  I wonder how pedal wagons handle liability?  They seem like an insurer's nightmare, in several ways. 

 

I've seen pedal wagons on Walnut near the Aronoff making rush hour traffic more congested around there than it already is.  I'm all for traffic calming, but by less-obnoxious means.  I can imagine it could be difficult for emergency vehicles to get around a pedal wagon on some of our narrow streets in the CBD and OTR.

 

 

http://m.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/03/10/here-s-when-otr-s-first-beercade-is-opening.html

 

Yay very excited to go here! The one in Cbus is awesome.

 

When I was by there Friday they were removing two set of windows and adding garage doors. Looked like several more weeks of work on the inside before they could open.

http://m.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2015/03/10/here-s-when-otr-s-first-beercade-is-opening.html

 

Yay very excited to go here! The one in Cbus is awesome.

 

When I was by there Friday they were removing two set of windows and adding garage doors. Looked like several more weeks of work on the inside before they could open.

 

So I'm guessing a safe bet should be by Memorial Day/Early June?

 

And will the garage doors be able to flip open during warmer months like they do in the other locations?

Really random thought..But I read about Club Clau during the early 2000's of OTR, and how apparently it was rated one of the best clubs in all of the world beating out high profile clubs from Bejing to NYC.

 

I know there were high profile celebrities that came there from Snoop Dog, to Justin Timberlake, and how apperantly the line stretched miles long and it was really hard to get in. You either had to have connections. Be incredibly good looking. Or had alot of money.

 

Apperantly Club Clau shut down, not because of a lack of revenue (from what I read it did really well), but rather the owners wanted to move on to different projects and endeavors.

 

 

My question is, with OTR becoming this young driven proffesional neighborhood, with quite a few wealthy residents, do you think a high profile club (something you would see in NYC or Miami) is something that should be on the radar for OTR?

the line stretched miles long and it was really hard to get in. You either had to have connections. Be incredibly good looking. Or had alot of money.

 

...

 

do you think a high profile club (something you would see in NYC or Miami) is something that should be on the radar for OTR?

 

That sounds like the absolute last place in the universe I would want to go, OTR or otherwise. My version of hell, actually.

 

I would say that sort of thing fell out of favor (outside the Jersey Shore) with the advent of hipster culture of the older mellenials. As an older mellenial, I am getting older, and maybe out of touch, though...

Ah, Change Lies Ahead of Us... I went there one Saturday night thanks to a friend of a friend. Line to get in stretched maybe a hundred feet or so. No celebrities that night. I heard they paid Britney to show up one weekend. Didn't hear that Snoop or JT made appearances. I remember the space being rather small, a DJ spinning, and a projector over the dance floor presenting some cracked out videos on a white sheet.

 

All in all it was overpriced pretentious BS at its finest. At least in my experience...

Wait, is this the same spot that Club Glitter is now located in? Was it set up the same way back then? Because that place is...less than nice. And it's not a factor of age, it's just not a good setup.

I remember Club Clau, but I wasn't old enough to go when it was open.  I do wish that Cincinnati had a couple of real clubs with DJs, lights, dance floors, bottle service, etc. rather than just bars with dance floors ala Pavilion and Japps annex.  Sure they're not everyone's thing, but I think a city and metro of this size could support at least a few places.  Play was the closest thing we had to a real club, and it closed a while ago and was generally kind of crappy. 

Club CLAU was tough to get into for the first 8 months or so that it was opened.  By the time it closed about a year later, they were letting anyone in there. 

 

The club scene has kind of died down recently which is probably why we don't have any. The Millennial generation just isn't as interested in that type of scene outside of a handful of key locations in the country (Miami, Vegas, parts of LA, etc.) and smaller, more personal places seem to be where the attention is being placed.

 

That being said, there's more than likely enough demand for at least one in Cincy. Play in Louisville is really nice and has a really good setup, is high quality, etc. I could see repurposing a similarly industrial building somewhere into a destination club.

Plenty of people love nightclubs in Cincy.  The problem is these nightclubs keep attracting dumb owners that can't run a business.  They end up closing after a few months or they suck at promoting themselves.  OTR has held some nightclubs for a long time.  But then they think it's cute to change owners.  It happened to Electra.  After Electra turned into Red Cheetah, it just attracted skanks and sleezy people.   

The Warehouse had a 10-year run.  It opened around 1994 and closed around 2004.  I think they moved from 1313 Vine to somewhere else or the move never happened.  That place Club Venus across the street only lasted about a year from what I remember. 

 

Then of course there is the matter of teen clubs, the most notorious being Zavo's up in West Chester.  I remember West Chester made all kinds of noise for 6 months trying to prevent that place from opening, which I think was 1995.  Then it opened and just two weeks later local hospitals traced an outbreak of spinal meningitis to that club.  The local media totally flipped out!   

 

Meanwhile there was a lesser-known but totally fantastic teen club in Colerain called Pop's Pool Hall.  It was in a strip mall on a side street by the Isuzu dealership next to a realtor's office.  The wall between Pop's and the office didn't go all the way to the ceiling so all night long people would lob whatever over the top.  I know that more than a few pool balls and cue sticks ended up over there. 

Never heard of Zavo's. But is anyone else in here young enough to remember Metropolis? Went there one when I was 19 or so. Never went back. But just for memory sake, and for a good demonstration of what Cincinnati "clubs" tends to turn into, here's a video:

I went there when I was 21 or so, so about 5 or 6 years ago. It was so awful. The house DJ though made it worth it. He got on the speakers and yelled, "These next two songs are for all of you here tonight" and proceeded to play a song about being a bro called "Don't Be a Douchebag" and then some similar songs about the female equivalent. The people in the crowd went crazy all happy and singing along, not really getting the guy was making fun of them. I wanted to leave almost immediately after arriving. Never went back.

Haha.  The trip down club memory lane is so OT but so indulgent.  I forgot about that whole Zavo's thing but Caddy's was really the forerunner of the teen club scene with their holiday weekend Sunday nighter teen shindigs.

 

Metropolis was America Live waaaay back in the day.  And two favorite names from yesteryear were Mr. K's and R Club.  White guys with high-top fades.

Was Metropolis in Forest Fair Mall?  Originally there was a club there called Bourbon St. which had a teen night on Sundays.  I remember the handful of guys at my high school that went to tanning booths were also regulars at Bourbon St. 

The Warehouse had a 10-year run.  It opened around 1994 and closed around 2004.  I think they moved from 1313 Vine to somewhere else or the move never happened.  That place Club Venus across the street only lasted about a year from what I remember. 

 

Then of course there is the matter of teen clubs, the most notorious being Zavo's up in West Chester.  I remember West Chester made all kinds of noise for 6 months trying to prevent that place from opening, which I think was 1995.  Then it opened and just two weeks later local hospitals traced an outbreak of spinal meningitis to that club.  The local media totally flipped out!   

 

Meanwhile there was a lesser-known but totally fantastic teen club in Colerain called Pop's Pool Hall.  It was in a strip mall on a side street by the Isuzu dealership next to a realtor's office.  The wall between Pop's and the office didn't go all the way to the ceiling so all night long people would lob whatever over the top.  I know that more than a few pool balls and cue sticks ended up over there. 

 

OMG my elementary school principal's daughter was one of those meningitis cases! She's fine now, as far as I know.

 

The popular teen club when I was in HS was Coconut Joes.  It was attached to Jeff Rubys Waterfront, and had fantastic views of Cincy with a wall of solid windows on the back.  It was definitely skeezy and attracted a bit of a sketchy crowd, but it was oddly really fun.  I remember they would have dance contests and one time two girls just started making out in an effort to win whatever shit prize was being offered.  Soft drinks were free and people would bring little airplane sized bottles of booze and mix them in.  At the end of the night I remember it was common to see scores of those little bottles scattered all over the floor. 

The Warehouse had a 10-year run.  It opened around 1994 and closed around 2004.  I think they moved from 1313 Vine to somewhere else or the move never happened.  That place Club Venus across the street only lasted about a year from what I remember. 

 

Then of course there is the matter of teen clubs, the most notorious being Zavo's up in West Chester.  I remember West Chester made all kinds of noise for 6 months trying to prevent that place from opening, which I think was 1995.  Then it opened and just two weeks later local hospitals traced an outbreak of spinal meningitis to that club.  The local media totally flipped out!   

 

Meanwhile there was a lesser-known but totally fantastic teen club in Colerain called Pop's Pool Hall.  It was in a strip mall on a side street by the Isuzu dealership next to a realtor's office.  The wall between Pop's and the office didn't go all the way to the ceiling so all night long people would lob whatever over the top.  I know that more than a few pool balls and cue sticks ended up over there. 

 

OMG my elementary school principal's daughter was one of those meningitis cases! She's fine now, as far as I know.

 

The popular teen club when I was in HS was Coconut Joes.  It was attached to Jeff Rubys Waterfront, and had fantastic views of Cincy with a wall of solid windows on the back.  It was definitely skeezy and attracted a bit of a sketchy crowd, but it was oddly really fun.  I remember they would have dance contests and one time two girls just started making out in an effort to win whatever shit prize was being offered.  Soft drinks were free and people would bring little airplane sized bottles of booze and mix them in.  At the end of the night I remember it was common to see scores of those little bottles scattered all over the floor. 

 

Was that the place on the barge with the fake palm trees and rock grotto that looked like it was pilfered from a Pirate-themed putt-putt course?

 

 

Not going to lie, that sounds completely awesome. In the tackiest way possible.

The Warehouse had a 10-year run.  It opened around 1994 and closed around 2004.  I think they moved from 1313 Vine to somewhere else or the move never happened.  That place Club Venus across the street only lasted about a year from what I remember. 

 

Then of course there is the matter of teen clubs, the most notorious being Zavo's up in West Chester.  I remember West Chester made all kinds of noise for 6 months trying to prevent that place from opening, which I think was 1995.  Then it opened and just two weeks later local hospitals traced an outbreak of spinal meningitis to that club.  The local media totally flipped out!   

 

Meanwhile there was a lesser-known but totally fantastic teen club in Colerain called Pop's Pool Hall.  It was in a strip mall on a side street by the Isuzu dealership next to a realtor's office.  The wall between Pop's and the office didn't go all the way to the ceiling so all night long people would lob whatever over the top.  I know that more than a few pool balls and cue sticks ended up over there. 

 

OMG my elementary school principal's daughter was one of those meningitis cases! She's fine now, as far as I know.

 

The popular teen club when I was in HS was Coconut Joes.  It was attached to Jeff Rubys Waterfront, and had fantastic views of Cincy with a wall of solid windows on the back.  It was definitely skeezy and attracted a bit of a sketchy crowd, but it was oddly really fun.  I remember they would have dance contests and one time two girls just started making out in an effort to win whatever shit prize was being offered.  Soft drinks were free and people would bring little airplane sized bottles of booze and mix them in.  At the end of the night I remember it was common to see scores of those little bottles scattered all over the floor. 

 

Was that the place on the barge with the fake palm trees and rock grotto that looked like it was pilfered from a Pirate-themed putt-putt course?

 

 

 

Indeed it was. 

Yucatan Liquor Stand

Quigley's Down Under and Cooters. 

 

America Live became Bourbon Street which had several bars.  I can't remember the name of any of them except Cheyenne Cattle Club.

Quigley's Down Under and Cooters. 

 

America Live became Bourbon Street which had several bars.  I can't remember the name of any of them except Cheyenne Cattle Club.

 

I forgot about Cooter's.  That became Club Vertigo, if we're talking about the same place -- that club that was in University Plaza?  Closed around 2005. 

 

I never went to Caddy's or the Hurricane Surf Club.  I did take a roll of photos of all that stuff being torn down.  They easily could have kept Caddy's and everything on the north side of Pete Rose Way when Paul Brown Stadium was built...I think they just wanted to wipe the slate completely clean. 

 

 

Yes. Cooters became Vertigo.  The other place that was demolished up there was Burgundys/Prime Time. It had the worst garage ever. You could sense that all sorts of 1st degree felonies had been committed in it. 

 

I'm surprised the mention of Mr. K's and R Club didn't elicit a reaction. They were notorious for underage serving. I'm sounding like my parents when I say, it was so wide open back in the day. 

 

Demolishing those buildings on the north side of PRW was a loss.  Although, I'm not sure how they would have stood in the way of the FWW realignment.  I went to the Caddys at Surf Cincy one time.  It was a cool concept but could easily feel deserted and unpopular because of its size.

Quigley's Down Under and Cooters. 

 

America Live became Bourbon Street which had several bars.  I can't remember the name of any of them except Cheyenne Cattle Club.

 

I forgot about Cooter's.  That became Club Vertigo, if we're talking about the same place -- that club that was in University Plaza?  Closed around 2005. 

 

I never went to Caddy's or the Hurricane Surf Club.  I did take a roll of photos of all that stuff being torn down.  They easily could have kept Caddy's and everything on the north side of Pete Rose Way when Paul Brown Stadium was built...I think they just wanted to wipe the slate completely clean. 

 

Too bad.  I made it to Caddy's once (for a concert), but I remember it being a cool venue.  I think the show was in the basement, and there were archways that may or may not have had windows.  There was definitely a bar down there, but I can't recall if there was anything above that level.  It would have been cool if that place had survived.

Quigley's Down Under and Cooters. 

 

America Live became Bourbon Street which had several bars.  I can't remember the name of any of them except Cheyenne Cattle Club.

 

I forgot about Cooter's.  That became Club Vertigo, if we're talking about the same place -- that club that was in University Plaza?  Closed around 2005. 

 

I never went to Caddy's or the Hurricane Surf Club.  I did take a roll of photos of all that stuff being torn down.  They easily could have kept Caddy's and everything on the north side of Pete Rose Way when Paul Brown Stadium was built...I think they just wanted to wipe the slate completely clean. 

 

Too bad.  I made it to Caddy's once (for a concert), but I remember it being a cool venue.  I think the show was in the basement, and there were archways that may or may not have had windows.  There was definitely a bar down there, but I can't recall if there was anything above that level.  It would have been cool if that place had survived.

 

I never went there.  A trivia fact is that the last band to ever play there was...The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.  Okay I don't know that for sure but I remember someone saying they saw them there when everything else was being torn down.  I really need to dig up those photos I took of the area in 1997.  Of course now I wish I had taken more...it's easy to forget how expensive buying and processing a roll of film was. 

 

And yes all of this is on topic because the demolition of the Pete Rose Way bars was the beginning of OTR's rise.  I'm not sure if the same club owners opened up the Main St. places or not, but the groundwork laid by Kaldi's and a handful of other people in the early-mid 90s then exploded around 1998 into a bar scene that was even bigger on Main St. than what is there now.  Most of it was centered on that block where Japp's is, but with two or three big bars in Haanke Building.  That place Westminsters was on the second floor with Bar Cincinnati and Have a Nice Day on the ground floor. 

 

^Ha.  That was the concert we went to, so I guess I really caught Caddy's at the tail end. 

 

Speaking of Westminster's, that place was great.  I would love to see that reopen exactly as it was, a two story pool hall above Japp's.  I was always had a decent crowd, but was a place you could go to escape the massive crowds at the bars and clubs below.  Something like that would do very well in OTR now. 

I took about five pictures inside Westminsters one night in probably 2002 or 2003 that I should dig up.  It was a pretty nice space from what I remember, with a lot of brick arches.