Spitzig said the bar will reopen on Sunday, Feb. 23.
The Century is downtown Dayton’s oldest bar, dating back to 1942 under its current name, but the history of having a bar on South Jefferson Street dates back even before then.
In the 1890s, Kette & Sons Rye Whiskey Distillery was established in the bar’s previous space and lasted until the flood.
Frank Steffen is said to have purchased the famous back bar you see at the bar today around 1924 for Steffen’s, a male-only “coffee shop” that opened in The Century’s previous space three years after the Great Dayton Flood of 1913. The back bar was constructed in 1862 and had been in Gibson’s Hotel in Cincinnati.
Back in the day, The Century was a classic dive bar with darts, pool and a jukebox on the wall. Today, the bar is known for its selection of 1,000 whiskeys — especially its bourbon.
In 2020, The Century moved from 10 S. Jefferson St. to its current location.
For more information and updates, visit centurybardayton.com or the bar’s Facebook or Instagram (@thecenturybar) pages.
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