GIRARD, Ohio – A longtime tavern downtown has closed its doors, and the building has been sold to another nearby company that plans to expand its administrative offices.
The Royal Gardens Pub, a landmark bar and restaurant that was established in 1933, has closed its doors to make room for an expansion at Windsor House Inc., a skilled nursing and assisted living operator that is headquartered at 101 W. Liberty St.
John Masternick, president and CEO of Windsor House, confirmed that the company has purchased the building. The company has owned buildings on each side of the Royal Gardens – 105 W. Liberty St. – for some time now, he said.
The contents of the bar will be sold separately at auction by the Royal Gardens’ owners, according to Jeff Byce, owner of Byce Auction, Youngstown. Bidding is now open for online buyers and will conclude at 2 p.m. March 26. Preview dates are scheduled from 1 to 2 p.m. March 23 and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 26.
Among the contents is an antique wooden model of a beer wagon drawn by a team of horses representing the Lowenbrau Brewery, Byce said. Another feature is a backbar manufactured by the Brunswick Corp. that dates to the original tavern.
Most of the items for auction consist of restaurant equipment, such as mixers, since the bar was also a location for a Belleria Pizza franchise.
The building was constructed in 1913 and was first used as a general store. In 1933 – just as Prohibition ended – the building was recast as a tavern and renamed the Royal Gardens.