Two Arena District Bars Closing Next Month

Peerless Management Group will shutter two of its properties next month. Both Dahlia Nightclub, 147 Vine St., and BBR, 106 Vine St. will close on Monday, April 4.

BBR had a decade-plus run, initially opening in 2011, while Dahlia made its debut in early 2016 in the Arena District.

The hospitality group confirmed the closures and stated the buildings “are being demolished for a land development project by the property owner.”

At the February meeting of the Downtown Commission, HP Land Development, owner of the BBR Parcel, and CCA Development LLC, owner of the Dahlia parcel, presented a plan for conceptual review for the demolition of the buildings. The application stated that leases on both buildings end at the close of March and the structures “do not mix well with new high-quality projects in the area such as the AC Marriott hotel and Chipotle’s regional headquarters located to the west.”

If demolished, the application outlined a temporary use of the parcels as parking for the North Market redevelopment project, with the potential for redevelopment in the future. A letter of support from Nationwide Reality Investors, developers of the Area District, for the demolition of the buildings was also included in the application.

“The aforementioned buildings are in disrepair and will be vacated in the first quarter of this year. In light of the security issues at stake, demolition of these nuisance structures is critical to our collective efforts at tamping down crime in that area,” NRI President Brian J Ellis said in the letter. “From a civic standpoint, demolition of these obsolete buildings is the right thing to do at this time. The highest and best use today, is to remove the structures to improve safety in the area and prepare the sites for future development.”

No vote was taken at the Commission meeting and the demolitions have not yet been approved. If the motion passes, the buildings could come down by the end of the year.

The bar scene in the Arena District has seen significant changes in the last handful of years. Park Street Patio, Park Street Saloon and The Social Room closed in late 2017 to make way for the AC Hotel, 517 Park St., which opened last year. Also in 2021, Bar Louie closed its doors and was replaced by dueling piano bar Howl at the Moon, 504 Park St.

Peerless Management group continues to operate three venues in the Short North – Fireproof, 1026 N. High St., Galla Park Steak, 900 N. High St., and the recently-opened Parlay Sporting Club + Kitchen at 570 N. High St.

For more information, visit livepeerless.com.