Jump to content

Arnold's Bar and Grill

Coordinates: 39°06′19″N 84°30′36″W / 39.10514°N 84.51011°W / 39.10514; -84.51011
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Bigcurl254 (talk | contribs) at 18:45, 24 January 2019 (→‎Street Art). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Arnold's Bar and Grill
Exterior of Arnold's Bar & Grill
Map
Restaurant information
Owner(s)Ronda Breeden
Previous owner(s)Susan Fawcett, Simon Arnold, Jim Christakos, Jim Tarbell
ChefKayla Robison
Food typeAmerican
Dress codeCasual
Rating4.5 Stars (Google)
Street address210 E 8th St
CityCincinnati
CountyHamilton
StateOhio
Postal/ZIP Code45202
CountryUSA
Coordinates39°06′19″N 84°30′36″W / 39.10514°N 84.51011°W / 39.10514; -84.51011
Websitearnoldsbarandgrill.com

Arnold's Bar and Grill is the oldest continuously-operating bar[1][2] in Cincinnati, Ohio and one of the oldest in the United States.[3]

History

The establishment was first opened in 1838 by Susan Fawcett as "a whorehouse," according to Cincinnati historian Mike Morgan.[1][4] In 1861, new owner Simon Arnold operated it as a bar and lived upstairs.[1] The Arnold family operated the bar through 98 years and three generations until 1959,[5] when Elmer Arnold sold it to former professional wrestler and mob collector Jim Christakos,[6] who also lived upstairs.[1]

In 1976, Cincinnati City Council member Jim Tarbell purchased it from Christakos and also moved in upstairs.[1] He expanded the bar to include a large outdoor courtyard.[1] In 1998 longtime Arnold's server Ronda Breeden bought it to run with her son Chris Breeden.[1][5]

During prohibition the bar operated as a speakeasy.[1][4] Some believe the building to be haunted.[7]

The bathtub cart which fronts the building and is used in local parades refers to the second-floor bathtub which is reputed to have been used to make bathtub gin during prohibition.[8]

In 2019 Arnold's partnered with local distillers Woodstone Creek to produce Hugo Arnold's Bathtub Gin, named for the prohibition-era owner of the bar.[9]

Reception

One of America's oldest[3][10] bars, Arnold's Bar and Grill has been noted in Esquire Magazine's "Best Bars in America",[8] Thrillist's "Most Iconic Bar in Ohio",[11] The Daily Meal's "150 Best bars in America"[12] and Serious Eats' "The Cincinnati 10".[13] Esquire's beverage historian David Wondrich[14] stated that "if Arnold's were in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, or Boston – somewhere, in short, that people actually visit – it would be world-famous."[3]

Street Art

Arnold's is home to murals from some of the most Influential artists of the 21st Century. [10]

On February 19th 2010 Shepard Fairey inastalled a 15ft tall by 20ft wide mural entitled "Global Warning". [11] Though the mural is made from wheatpasted screen prints, Arnold's has maintained the mural over the last decade and it remains in great shape.

On September 16, 2013 JR (artist) installed a wheatpaste mural in Arnold's courtyard.[12] The mural is of Arnold's waitresses from the 1930s. Jr installed the piece as part of his "Unframed' Series. 'Unframedis an ongoing project that began in 2010, realized using images by famous or anonymous photographers, and archival images that JR interpreted and took out of their context depending on the place, neighborhood, or city he worked in. In works such as those made in May 2013 in Marseille, France, JR dug into the identity of the neighborhood of la Belle de Mai, and invited its inhabitants to think about the memory of their streets by looking into their personal photo albums. The photographs, old or new, cropped or enlarged, create monumental artworks on the facades of neighborhoods and transform personal and multiple footprints of what is part of the city's history and collective memory. JR has exhibited Unframed works in Cincinnati, Marseille, Atlanta, Washington DC, Baden Baden, Grottaglie, Vevey, and São Paulo.

On Television

In a 2018 episode of the Travel Channel's Man v. Food, host Casey Webb visits Arnold's during the episode's trip to Cincinnati.

Arnold's was featured on Episode 1 of Season 3 of First We Feast's Hot Ones with host Sean Evans and guest Padma Lakshmi from Top Chef. [15]

Producers for the NBC drama Harry's Law liked Arnold's so much that they decided to include it as part of the show. They built a replica set of Arnold's as a hang out for the character's on the show. [16][17] Even borrowing actual staff uniforms, table tents and copies of artwork to be used on the show. When the show was ultimately canceled, they sent actual set pieces to Arnold's which they now display on the second floor of the bar. [18]

In Film

Carol (film) from director Todd Haynes was nominated for 6 Academy Awards and had multiple scenes filmed at Arnold's. [19] Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson and Jake Lacy were all featured in scenes that were filmed at Arnold's.

Marauders (2016 film) directed by Steven C. Miller transformed Arnold's courtyard into a Mexican Cantina for filming. Scenes starring Christopher Meloni, Bruce Willis, and Adrian Grenier were filmed there.

10 Minutes Gone (out in 2020) directed by Brian A. Miller filmed scenes with Michael Chiklis at Arnold's.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Restivo, Danny (April 2014). "Arnold's Way". Cincinnati Magazine. Archived from the original on April 8, 2016. Retrieved January 13, 2016. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Pennebaker, Holly (April 14, 2015). "Thrillist: Cincinnati's oldest bar is Ohio's most iconic". WCPO-TV. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c Wondrich, David (June 2013). "The Best Bars in America". Esquire. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Arnold's Brothels, Bootleggers, and Booze Tours". QueenCityHistory.com. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  5. ^ a b "History". Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  6. ^ "The Greek Who Made the Spaghetti "authentic" at Arnold's". QueenCityHistory.com. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  7. ^ Alter, Mixim (October 21, 2015). "Weird shadows. Loud bumps in the night. Is Arnold's Bar haunted? Creepy signs point to yes". WCPO-TV. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Weldon, Casey (May 27, 2013). "Downtown fixture Arnold's Bar and Grill voted among '16 Best Bars in America' by Esquire Magazine". WCPO. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  9. ^ Zummo, Maija (January 4, 2019). "Downtown's Arnold's Bar & Grill Collaborates on Bathtub Gin with Woodstone Creek Distillery". Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  10. ^ "Arnold's Website Awards Section". Arnold's.
  11. ^ Breslour, Lee (April 8, 2015). "THE MOST ICONIC BAR IN EVERY STATE (AND DC)". Thrillist. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  12. ^ Steigerwald, Shauna (April 23, 2015). "THE 150 BEST BARS IN AMERICA". The Daily Meal. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  13. ^ Pandolfi, Keith (February 29, 2016). "Serious Eats's The Cincinnati 10". Serious Eats. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  14. ^ Christopher Hughes (November 17, 2014). "David Wondrich on Dive Bars, Booze, and 'Opinionated' Bostonians". Boston Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  15. ^ Campbell, Polly (23 January 2017). "Harry's Law: Arnold's names burger after 'Hot Ones' host Sean Evans". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved January 23, 2017.
  16. ^ Campbell, Polly (18 July 2011). "Cincinnati will get more airtime on 'Harry's Law'". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  17. ^ Kiesewetter, John (18 July 2011). "'Harry's Law' Gets Cinci-fied". Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  18. ^ Kimball, Trevor (18 June 2012). "Harry's Law: Show Props Go to the Real Arnold's'". TV Series Finale. Retrieved June 18, 2012.
  19. ^ Movie Maps https://moviemaps.org/movies/191. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Arnold%27s_Bar_and_Grill&oldid=880001298"