Ky. Tornadoes Render Owensboro’s Oldest Bar Unsalvageable

An Owensboro, Ky., bar that dates back to the end of Prohibition is being torn down after tornadoes that were part of storms that swept through western Kentucky caused irreparable damage to the structure.

Martin’s Bar opened in the 1930s two years after Prohibition ended and at one time was “the hottest place between Louisville and St. Louis,” said Dennis McGrady, a bartender at Martin’s for two years.

The bar was one of the latest casualties of the Oct. 18 storm. It was one of 32 buildings that sustained substantial damage, city officials said.

A tornado with winds up to 155 mph swept through Owensboro, and three other twisters touched down near the city, the National Weather Service in Paducah said. Eight people were injured, and several homes and buildings were damaged or destroyed.

The building housing the bar was condemned because of structural damage. Several people helped bar owner Eric Hamilton remove the contents of the building this week in preparation for it to be razed.

“It is sad to see it go because it’s part of the history of Owensboro,” said Carol Alvey, who owns the building in which Martin’s is housed.

The building, which dates to the 1800s, has been in her family since the 1930s. Alvey said insurance for the building was too expensive.

The bar was once a popular stop on the jazz circuit. It stayed open until 2004 when it was shut down for about a year until Eric Hamilton, the current owner, reopened it.

Hamilton said that he is in the process of looking for a place to move, having put the bar itself and other furnishings into storage.

“I’d hate for it to end now because of a tornado,” Hamilton said. “It’s a lot bigger to a lot of people’s lives than just to ours. It’s a place a lot of people are going to remember.”

Information from: Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer,

http://www.messenger-inquirer.com