Redevelopment can’t keep displaced bars off OSU campus
Bars in the Ohio State University campus area aren’t going away — at least not for good.
Not even a university-led overhaul of North High Street’s landscape can change that.
“Campus is what it’s all about,” said John Votino, owner of Ugly Tuna Saloona, which lost its lease after 14 years on North High Street in the Gateway area of the University District but is seeking a new space. “These kids need an outlet. It’s tough enough getting through college.”
University District staples such as Too’s Spirits Under High, which was at 1880 N. High St., and The O Patio & Pub, previously at 12 E. 15th Ave., are taking their denied lease renewals in stride and moving a few blocks north.
Even with higher rents, unfamiliar locations and perhaps less-than-ideal spaces, remaining in the campus area is worth it, owners say.
Votino says operating a bar in the area helps college kids unwind in a safe way. He has four adult children — some worked at Tuna; others frequented the place — and he sees his kids in his customers.
Ohio State’s development arm, Campus Partners, is in the middle of a massive project around the intersection of 15th and North High streets. Buildings that were home to bars, pubs and bookstores are being torn down, and Campus Partners plans to replace them with boutiques, an 11-story hotel and restaurants.
In college language, “they’re being taken down by ‘the man’ right now,” said Kelly Krajewski, an Ohio State junior.
In development language, it’s not so much ‘the man’ bringing the bars down; it’s the need for modern spaces.
“Due to the inevitable takedown of these buildings, Campus Partners took on the project to ensure that what is built at this critical crossroads serves the entire university neighborhood — a place where students, visitors and neighbors could connect with one another,” Erin Prosser, director of community development for Campus Partners, said in an emailed statement.
A connection is just what Scott Ellsworth, the owner of Too’s Spirits Under High, said he had with the students prior to his lease being denied by Campus Partners. When the lease for Too’s wasn’t renewed, Ellsworth bought Thr3e’s Above High at 2203 N. High St., not as a replacement but as a new venture.
“We buried that (Too’s) brand in the rubble of that location, I guess,” he said, but the live music and personality of his staff are a better fit with the demographic of 21- to 25-year-olds, he said. That’s another reason why he stuck to the campus area.
“I’m a father of two kids,” he noted by way of saying that he understands bars sometimes can have a sleazy image and he intends to keep his establishment safe for students.
“We never had one liquor violation in the 10 years I owned Too’s. Every girl in there is like my kid.”
Ohio State students were not happy when it came time for the older bars to move on.
Too’s closed, then Ugly Tuna, then The O, and joining the rubble soon will be Mama’s Pasta and Brew at 23 Campus Place. The bar is set to close, though the exact date is not yet known. And because it’s 2018, hashtags were created (#SaveToos), and memes were spread.
“High Street will never be the same,” one Twitter user said.
“The O closed yesterday and so did my will to live,” said another.
Max Littman, an OSU senior, noted something else about bars closing: He said they’re safer than house parties. He worries that binge drinking and unsafe behaviors demonstrated while in an off-campus houses might increase.
“Bars have bouncers and paid staff,” Littman said. “At house parties, you can do more stupid things.”
Krajewski also pointed out that paid employees serve the drinks, so the patrons know what they’re drinking and how much.
Although students might be disappointed, bars closing isn’t anything new, said Bob Welcher, president of Restaurant Consultants Inc.
“It’s the grand scheme of business,” he said. “You have to adapt, or you have to move.”