Casual concept back at historic Rookwood Pottery site

Looking to restore the casual bar and restaurant concept that filled the old Rookwood Pottery, the Boss Group has held a soft opening for the Rookwood Bar & Restaurant at 1077 Celestial Street in Mount Adams. The owners are awaiting the approval of a new liquor license, which will allow them to open for full service, Tuesday through Sunday. In the meantime, they have been open for lunch while refining the operation of their scratch kitchen.

The 12,492-square-foot space was formerly occupied by Porkopolis, which closed in June after its lease expired.

"History's really important to us," says Joe Creighton, one of the restaurant’s owners.  "We couldn't pass it up."

The restaurant features a new front and back bar, oak-finished floors, and paint colors picked to match a specific piece of Rookwood pottery. Eventually, the vision is to create a cool, industrial New York feel.

"We were looking to mix a little history in with some young energy," says business partner Lance Frye.

Creighton says they want to create a place that's a welcoming, neighborhood bar that's just a stone's throw from the Mount Adams business district.

"We'll never have a bouncer at the door or valet parking," he says.

Downstairs, the owners plan a speakeasy-styled bar space called 'The Parliament', and, this winter, they'll begin construction on a two-tiered outdoor deck that will feature a fire pit built from stone from the foundations of the Mount Adams Incline. Televisions installed behind the bar will display Cincinnati history, one of Creighton's passions.

"A lot of people don't know where they came from," he says.  "If they did, they might be proud of where they came from."

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Sources: Joe Creighton, owner, Rookwood Bar & Restaurant; Lance Frye, partner, Rookwood Bar & Restaurant
Photography by Scott Beseler