Old stuff has always seemed neater and more visually appealing to me than new stuff, especially when it comes to furniture and architecture. Since I can only fathom the amount of work and effort that went into making it, I suppose I value it more. Many of the elements were constructed by hand by a few highly trained workers because they lacked the technology to mass-produce things back then. It just so happened that one of the most amazing vintage items I’ve seen recently was located in one of the most strange locations I can imagine.
The lovely bar in the accompanying photo is the charming old item I’m talking about, as you can probably imagine. Where I saw it is probably something you couldn’t anticipate. Would you believe that it’s located close to downtown Evansville, sort of hidden away in one of the rooms at the CK Newsome Center? “Why in the world is this huge bar in some random room at the CK Newsome Center?” was my initial query. Another query immediately followed: “How in the world have I never seen this thing here before?” Over the past 25 years, I had visited the CK Newsome Center innumerable times, but I was unaware that it held such a gem.
What’s the Story Behind This Historic Evansville Bar?
I was able to find some information on the bar’s history, although it took some research. The bar seems to have once been a component of the Acme Hotel, which was situated in downtown Evansville. The bar had to be moved since the Acme Hotel was destroyed in 1956; it was better to move it than lose it. How or why the bar ended up in the CK Newsome Center is still a mystery to me.
The aforementioned vintage postcard was discovered in the digital archives of the University of Southern Indiana. The view is southeast down NW 2nd St. in downtown Evansville. The description states that the red structure, which seems considerably lighter in some photos, is the Acme Hotel, which was previously located at 201-9 Upper 2nd St., 22 NW 2nd St. Constructed as a hotel in 1866, the structure was renamed Acme in 1893.
This image, which dates to around 1898, is one of the few real pictures of the Acme Hotel that I could locate. The Acme Hotel, according to the scant information I could find, “catered to African-Americans before segregation came to an end.”
What is the CK Newsome Center Bar Used for These Days?
It should be noted that the bar is no longer a bar in the conventional sense. Alcohol is not served there. Actually, there is nothing behind the bar, even booze. To be honest, I have no idea what the bar is utilized for. It certainly sparked my interest and lead to this piece, so perhaps it’s only there to start a conversation. I merely hope that bringing attention to this unusual piece of furniture may enable or inspire more people to view it. Therefore, the next time you visit the CK Newsome Center, simply turn right in the lobby and go to the left down the corridor. On your right, you’ll pass a room that houses the bar before you get to the gym.
