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Back In The
Day Larry's
Today |
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Lawrence J. Paoletti
opened the Lawrence Grill
in the early 1920's
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 unning a successful restaurant
came naturally to the Paoletti brothers. Early in the 1900's the siblings opened
Paoletti's, the first in a line of successful eateries, on Third and Gay next to where the
Dispatch building still stands today. Sam continued
to run the place after brother Lawrence and his new bride Mary opened the Lawrence Grill
on the east side of High Street around 5th Avenue. Mary had roots in the restaurant
business too. Her sister, Theresa Piacentini, married into the Marzetti family who owned a
very popular fine dinning establishment at 16 East Broad, and later made a fortune on
their famous salad dressing.
While turning a good profit, the 5th and high location proved to
be less than ideal. Around 1923, Lawrence and Mary moved their restaurant to
Larry's current location at 2040 North High. Lawrence Grill continued its "old
world" traditional setting: tablecloths, latticework partitions, and fine Italian
food. Prohibition (enforced between 1920 and 1933) prevented |
The Paolettis (L -R): Lawrence,
Robert,
Mary, and Larry |
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| alcohol sales
at this time, but the business thrived with the growth of The Ohio State University
across the street. Though rumored to have been a speakeasy during this period, actually,
the Paolettis were plenty busy just selling food. As America entered its Great Depression, few businesses were as
prosperous as the Paoletti's. Their landlord owed the bank money and the bank owed
the Paolettis money. Consequently, the bank turned the building at 2040 North High
over to the family.
With the end of Prohibition in 1933,
Lawrence Grill was in for another boon. Campus remained dry from 10th Avenue to just
one foot south of the restaurant's property. It was now the closest spot from campus
to get |
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North High Street as viewed from Lawrence Grill |
alcohol. OSU students and
faculty would now come for beer and wine, as well as food. This business remained steady
until the early 40's when the Second World War brought a near standstill to life around
the OSU campus, as young men and women dedicated themselves to the cause. Lawrence and
Mary's son Larry was now a young man. He began working at the grill while attending OSU as
an engineering student. After finishing college in 1942 and working briefly for
General Electric, he too would join the war effort - stationed on a Navy ship in the South
Atlantic. |
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After several very slow years, a surprising turn of events would attract a new type of
customer and alter the establishment's focus. Around 1943, a professor at Ohio State
developed an aircraft identification course that Navy personnel were required to take.
These soldiers were given free room and board at Ohio State, but would go to Lawrence's
after class for drinks. Suddenly, many young men wanted to keep late hours at the Grill
drinking. Mary Paoletti spoke often of the day the tablecloths were symbolically removed.
And the lattice partitions were soon to follow! After the war, OSU enrollment skyrocketed
and business hopped with the return of many students on the G.I. Bill. Larry also
returned. He now ran the place full-time and the name was officially changed to
Larry's. |
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Larry was a bright young man, well versed in many
subjects. He would often engage university scholars in discussions on politics, art
, and science. A ragtime piano player himself, Larry was a huge fan of jazz,
classical music, and opera. He studied musicology in Chicago for a while, and
brought back a bohemian vibe to the bar, which now featured live music by ragtime
pianist Terry Waldo and others.
On her way to a sorority party, a young woman stopped by the bar.
Betty Scott met Larry and they married in 1950. Larry got a job doing aerodynamics
research for Airesearch Corporation and the newlyweds moved to California. Lawrence, once
again, ran the place. Much older now and tired of the business, he did so reluctantly, and
finally convinced Larry to come back. Soon the young Paolettis had three infant boys to
tend to - back in Columbus, Oh. |
Larry Paoletti as a young man |
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Larry's continued to thrive through the 60's and 70's. Before
the proliferation of south campus bars on the OSU campus, crowds lined High Street on
Friday nights waiting to get in. During the Vietnam war demonstrations of the early 70's,
Larry's was THE gathering place for rioters and protestors. Regular customers
initiated the annual spring "Prom" to celebrate the reclaiming of the bar, after
students left for summer break. Also during this period, a rumor was intentionally
spread, that Larry's was a "gay bar", to deter college fraternity types from
coming in. In 1984 Cheryl Abdullah and John Cropp began
organizing weekly poetry readings on Monday nights. Surprisingly, the event was a huge
success, and brought customers in on an, otherwise, off night. Steve Abbott took
over as coordinator the following year, and Larry's
Poetry Forum continues to host world class poets and open readings Monday nights
during the school year (autumn through spring).
Over the years many myths and legends have generated from
Larry's. Certainly many stories can be told. Was there a bowling alley in the
basement? Yes, there were duckpin lanes in the basement, underneath the gravel lot
behind the building, but they were never owned or operated by the Paolettis and
were probably not in use |
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Larry circa 1990 |
when they took over the
building. Did Bob Dylan stay in an apartment upstairs during the early 60's? Seems
likely. Do ghosts haunt the place? If you've every been in the place
alone, late at night - you'd probably say yes! But
one thing is for sure, the presence of several generations of kindred spirits can be felt
at any time. And many future memories are in the making.
History by Bill Hustad
from interview with Betty Paoletti, 27 August 2000
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Top of
History Back In The
Day
Larry's
Today
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 arry passed on January 13, 1999 and many friends gathered at
the bar to pay their respects and reminisce. The poetry forum microphone was set up
and Eulogies and stories flowed. In attendance were former patrons and employees spanning
almost 40 years. Though a sad occasion, it was also a celebration of the community
we all share. Larry would have liked that. During
the mid 90's, Larry's sons Dan and Jon ran the bar. Around 1998, Jon's wife Linda
became |
Linda and Jon Paoletti, current
owners of Larry's Bar |
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important part of the team, and she and Jon soon became the owners. Jon, like his
father, is a musician and music fan. He moonlights playing bass for
Mike Patrick and the Blues Drivers. |
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Larry passed on January 13, 1999 During the mid 90's,
Larry's sons became an important
part
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Last updated Dec. 15, 2004
Site spinning and maintenance:
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