#5915 - Bay Horse Cafe, Cincinnati, OH - 9/12/2024

Bay Horse Cafe, Cincinnati, OH

While it has been closed and threatened many times over the years, the Bay Horse Cafe traces its history back to 1962 in its current location, back to 1879 under its current name (across multiple locations), and purportedly back to 1817 as a business. Cincinnati Magazine provides this overview:

Bay Horse stakeholders trace the bar’s roots back to 1817, a Water Street location that suffered frequent flooding. It moved a few times, landing on Fifth Street where, in 1878, it picked up its name after a horse broke free of its pen across the street and wandered into the cozy interior.... the drinkery moved to its current location at 625 Main Street in 1968 [sic] when the federal building forced relocation. By 2004, the business had fallen on hard times and, after a shooting occurred outside its front window, the city declined renewal of its liquor license. For a while, the building faced threat of demolition.

Then, in 2017, a local entrepreneur and real estate investor named Fred Berger bought the building and, alongside his partner, Lori Meeker, renovated the bar, returning it to its glory days. The reopened Bay Horse Cafe quickly became a beloved local fixture until the tragic death of Meeker [in May 2022] led to yet another closure. A “For Rent” sign eventually appeared in the front window.

A longtime local bartender, Kyle Smith had been looking for a place to call his own for more than a year when he heard the Bay Horse was for rent. He called the number, and Berger answered. The two instantly hit it off. "He said, ‘You can’t change anything,’” Smith recalls. “’The sign has to stay on the front. I don’t want you to change the name.’ I said, ‘Fred, you don’t have to worry about a thing.’”

(cincinnatimagazine)

The 1817 date is very far from certain, and we know from primary sources that the move to the current location was in 1962 rather than 1968, but in any case we know that the business is very old. I first discovered it when it was still closed due to the death of Meeker, so I was delighted to be able to go not too long after it re-opened in early April 2024. It was Meeker and her partner Berger who were most critical to its survival and current form, for it was they who rescued when it had been closed for 12 years and slated for demolition in 2016. Not only did they revive the business, but they rescued it from a troublesome clientele, and restored much of its former glory, exposing the old tin ceilings and tile floors, and restoring the great early mid-century neon sign.

"The Bay Horse became to be known as a neighborhood trouble spot. In 2005 it was closed after it was found that it was operating without a liquor license and also after a shooting occurred during the day right outside its door. After the its closing, Quikstaff operated an employment firm for a short time but it appears the building has been vacant for some time. It had been for sale but now the owner has applied for a demolition permit that has to be reviewed by the Historic Conservation Board."  (diggingcincinnati)

Much of the bar's history is documented on the walls of the bar itself, e.g. a Jan 15, 1936 article from the Cincinnati Post which notes:

"The Bay Horse was originally opened by William Brothers, who was proprietor until 1891. During the great panic of 1891 to 1896, the cafe was sold half a dozen times. Gus Schmleg worked for each of its owners. He acquired it, together with a partner, Ed Schott, who is now 76 and works for Mr. Schmleg, in 1896. The building housing the cafe was erected in 1829 by William Thoms. A sun dial bearing the name and date may be found on the building at the intersection of Main and Fifth streets."

Another article notes that customer Robert O'Hara, a clerk for Board of Elections in town, came in 1906 and had come in every working day since up to at least the publishing of the article in 1952.

Yet another notes that Bill Marck took over in 1938, and we know that he still ran it when it was forced to move again and merged into the Grand Cafe, then at its current location. It is likely that it was at this point that the bar finally allowed women customers, as we know that it had not previously, but the Grand Cafe had.

So cheers to owner Kyle Smith and the entire string of owners known and unknown who kept this wonderful old place alive. The Queen City today has a rich selection of bars again, from craft cocktail emporiums to great old dives, but I'll try and make my way to the Bay Horse at least once whenever I visit.

625 Main St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 - (513) 975-0335
Est. 1962 (current location), 1879 previous location - Building constructed: 1829 
Previous bars in this location: Grand Cafe 
Web site: facebook 
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