Return of the Ottawa Tavern

inToledo | 10/01/2008

You can’t go home again. It’s an old saying—so ingrained that some might consider it a rule. But there’s another rule: Some rules are made to be broken. The storied Ottawa Tavern—the legendary local bar that began in the 1930s and carried on until it closed its doors on Bancroft Street and later burned in the 1990s—is back from the ashes with its legacy and its dignity intact.

The new OT has taken up residence at 1817 Adams Street in the Uptown Arts and Entertainment District, a burgeoning center of culture and fun just west of downtown Toledo.

The owners of the new OT are Tom and Laura Baird. Tom is a Toledo accountant and real estate developer. It’s our good fortune that they suffers from a malady that involves looking at a wrecked shell of a building and seeing something that is not there—not yet there, anyway.

“I bought the building three years ago,” said Baird. “A client sent me a ﬂier on the sale of the old North Coast Display building. I went down to take a look, not intending to buy. But the space was solid and the amenities were good. I got it for a pretty good price.”

Baird and his wife, Laura, originally intended to turn the building into lofts, studios and art space. “We met with local artists and toured some of the local studio and loft hot-spots. Then a friend or ours had the idea of re- establishing the Ottawa Tavern in the building. I didn’t think the name would be available but I checked and, to my surprise, it was.”

Baird purchased the building three years ago. Phase- one involved the completion of loft apartments on the second ﬂ oor and indoor parking for the tenants. “There’s high demand for upscale housing downtown. The apartments have been occupied since they were completed.”

But if building the apartments was like earning an MBA, creating the OT was like earning a Ph.D., according to Baird. “We started working on the OT in February of 2008. It wasn’t like working on a clean box at a strip mall. It went in stops and starts. There were clouds of plaster dust, sewer issues, the kitchen and bar had to be built from scratch. We ran into electrical and water problems. We had to design a ﬂ oating ceiling that rested on oil-ﬁlled dampers to minimize the sound of music reaching the apartments.”

All the hard work aside, Baird is excited with the end result. “I remember the old Ottawa Tavern,” he said. “I remember a lot of great times. There were a wide range of ages, disciplines and ethnicities. College students, lawyers and everything in between mingled and had good times. I tried to create the old look. We even made an exact reproduction of the old sign; some people think it’s the original.”

Some of the artifacts in the new OT are original, donated by patrons of the old OT and the former owner who served as a combination consultant and guide. “People want to see the memorabilia, not so they can live in the past, but to remember,” said Baird. “Many people will tell you they met their wife or their husband at the Ottawa Tavern. When the word got out two years ago, I got a call from an 86-year-old woman who told me her father used to take her with him to the Ottawa Tavern. They would sit at the bar together. He would have a beer a give her a root beer.”

Baird says his formula for success is based on four elements: great staff, a great space (unusual and interesting with a great streetscape feel), great bar food and great entertainment. As for the space, you walk in to be greeted by smiling, friendly staff behind a wrap-around bar big enough to seat you and a couple dozen of your closest friends. There’s plenty of table seating and a couple of hidden nooks in the back if you want a private booth. Then there’s the stage, high above the main ﬂ oor for easy audience viewing. And the OT is already attracting some of the best local bands around, including Johnny Reed and the House Rockers, Steve Atanas & the Ogres, and The Nutones. The grub gives bar food a good name, with items like grilled sirloin steak and garlic salsa shrimp.

All in all, the Ottawa Tavern is about fun. Just check out the cocktail menu, with drink names like Gummi Bear Juice and other names we can’t print here…you get the idea. So head on down for a taste of the old and the new, some good food, good drinks, good music and good times. They’re open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night.

Sometimes, you can go home again. Rules? There’s only one at the OT: Enjoy.