Business & Tech

Robin Hood Inn Set for Demolition

Owner has obtained permit to raze landmark bar near Kent State campus

The Robin Hood Inn may have a date with the wrecking ball.

The owner of the historic, landmark bar near has obtained a demolition permit from the city to bring down the 75-year-old structure at the corner of North Lincoln and East Main streets.

City building officials issued a demolition permit for the bar at 503 E. Main St. on Thursday to the building's owner, Christine L. Coven.

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Coven could not be reached for comment. She has not submitted any plans for rebuilding on the property with the city.

It's unclear why the bar closed quietly in the summer of 2010. The had investigated the bar in 2009 after numerous underage drinking arrests there, but the closing was not the result of action by the city.

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The building, built in 1936 according to Portage County Auditor's Office records, underwent a renovation in 1999. The bar interior was remodeled again late last decade and started serving food again while offering a mix of live music acts.

The Robin Hood operated as a bar in recent years, but the building has changed from restaurant to music venue to bar and grill throughout its long life.

Jim Myers, a member of the board, recalled a classy restaurant he used to visit with his parents on Sundays during the 1940s.

"That was the place you went for Sunday dinner," Myers said. "Everybody in town went there. It was the best restaurant in town, the best place to be."

The Robin Hood continued to operate as a restaurant into the 1970s.

Charlie Thomas, the owner of Ray's Place, said he remembered looking out the windows of the Robin Hood, mug of beer in hand, watching the fall Kent State University parade in 1969.

"When I first came to school here it was the place," Thomas said. "I have to say, in the last few years I didn’t have much contact with them, because there were so many different owners doing their own thing. You couldn’t even keep track of who owned it.

"But as far as the Robin Hood, a lot of people have good memories of that," he said.

Chet Williams is another long-time Kent resident with fond memories of the former restaurant.

Williams joined the Kent Kiwanis 50 years ago, in 1961, when the group met regularly at the Robin Hood. He remembered the Kiwanis then as a "who's-who" of Kent, with members including the mayor, council members and the city's more successful business owners.

"It was loaded with those types of people at that time," Williams said.  "We met in the upstairs. It was a wonderful place to go, and anyone who ate there couldn’t get enough of their sweet rolls."


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