In the dozens of times I’ve walked down East Ohio Street over the past five years, I’ve cast my gaze upon Park House, hoping to see the landmark bar teeming with patrons raising pints and swaying to live music. Instead, I saw a shuttered entryway. With a sinking heart, I trudged on.
On Dec. 5, 2025, my view of Park House stopped me in my tracks. The cozy bar was filled with people! The red-and-green neon sign was blazing! Light and laughter poured through the windows! My dream had become a reality! Standing there in the snow, I felt like Ebenezer Scrooge peering through a pub window into his joyful past. The sight humbled my bah-humbug.
It’s fitting that the beer-slinging business launched in 1933 was reborn on Repeal Day, an annual celebration marking the date in 1933 when the 21st Amendment was ratified, ending Prohibition in the United States and legalizing the production, sale and consumption of alcohol once again.
Proprietors Gary and Michelle Lynch – who live on the North Side and own the 132-year-old building — have spent three years upgrading the cozy, landmark bar while maintaining its historic charm, ever mindful of its place in people’s hearts…