A couple weeks after the beloved Ohio State University-area dive bar served its last beer, The Little Bar has met its end.
The campus watering hole, located at 2195 N. High St., was demolished the morning of April 14 to make way for a student housing high-rise by Austin-based developer American Campus Communities. The Little Bar, which first opened in 2006, saw its last day of business March 29, much to the chagrin of owner John Massimiani, who told The Dispatch in late 2025 that he’d tried for years to buy the building from his landlord.
Massimiani said at the time that American Campus purchased The Little Bar site for roughly $3.5 million, and his lease on the space expired March 31. But if it were up to him, he’d never sell.
“I’m just glad that people enjoyed it, and I want them to know I don’t want to leave,” Massimiani said. “But you don’t have any option when your lease is out.”
American Campus’ plans involve an elevated walkway connecting two apartment buildings – a nine-story structure on The Little Bar site and a 12-story structure on the site of the decades-old University Baptist Church at 50 W. Lane Ave., which was also recently razed for the project. The church would relocate to the first floor of the tower under American Campus’ proposal.
Together, the two buildings would combine for more than 700 bedrooms.
It’s unclear whether Massimiani will reopen The Little Bar in a different location. He told The Dispatch in late 2025 that he wanted to keep the business alive, but only if it can stay on campus.
He’s already tried at least one location at the former Lane Avenue Tommy’s Pizza site, which fell through, and even considered relocating to the back room of The Horseshoe – another campus bar he owns, located just down the street from The Little Bar.
The Little Bar is the latest in a series of bars to be affected by development in the University District, though some are taking shape again. Twos Under High – formerly known as Too’s Spirits Under High, which closed in 2017 – is plotting an August reopening on High Street, while Bier Stube – razed in 2024 to make way for a 13-story apartment complex – readies a new location on King Avenue.
Reporter Emma Wozniak can be reached at ewozniak@dispatch.com or @emma_wozniak_ on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: The Little Bar is gone. Watch the demolition of the Ohio State-area bar
Reporting by Emma Wozniak, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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