A downtown Columbus bar steeped in controversy opened its doors Friday afternoon after being closed for almost a year.
The Elbow Room at 418 Second Ave. N. was the scene of a double homicide in 2011.
After 11 months vacant, the bar is under new management, and Friday night, it opened to the public.
“I’ve wanted to do this for a long time,” new owner Shannon Lindeman said. “I never thought it would happen. This is a dream come true for me. We had hoped to open sooner, but we had to wait on some permits.”
Lindeman, 32, an Alabama native who now lives in Columbus, said the bar has a permit to sell beer, but long-term plans call for adding a small kitchen and obtaining a liquor license.
Ed Smith obtained a license to operate late Thursday afternoon, Columbus Inspection Official Kenny Wiegel confirmed.
Smith, who lives in Columbus, said he eventually plans to turn the business completely over to Lindeman.
The bar’s reopening was first publicized on its Facebook page Dec. 28, 2011. An event page was later created on the social media site stating, “The oldest bar in historic downtown Columbus is back and better than ever.” Friends of the Elbow Room’s Facebook page were encouraged to leave comments on the reopening and possible renovation ideas.
“We just basically added a fresh coat of paint,” Lindeman said. “We aren’t going to do any major renovations at this time. We just want things to go smoothly. We are going to start small and do more down the road.”
Lindeman was eager to get the bar open, but opening-weekend anxieties are not the only challenges she faces.
On Feb. 16, 2011, Mark Caudill, 33, and James Bennett Mann, 42, were shot and killed at the Elbow Room during an after-hours altercation. Daniel Paul Copple, 44, of Lucerne Valley, Calif., was convicted of the murders in December in Lowndes County Circuit Court. Copple was also convicted of aggravated assault for holding a gun to the head of bartender Mike Ward. Copple was sentenced to life in prison on each murder count and received 15 years for the aggravated assault on Ward.
“It was a freak accident,” Lindeman said. “Nothing like that had ever happened in this bar (before). It was needless. I knew (Mann), and I feel for their families. I hope it doesn’t happen again.”
Lindeman said she talked to members of the victims’ families before she opened the bar’s doors.
“We were going to hang a picture of (Mann) and (Caudill) in the bar, but a family member asked not to do so,” she said. “We respect their wishes and decided not to hang the photo. We are going to be closed on Feb. 16 out of respect. As long as I own this bar, we will never be open on Feb. 16.”
Although the bar was the scene of a heavily publicized tragedy, some say it is time to move forward.
“The Elbow Room has been around for a long time,” Columbus resident Jonothon Breckenridge, 39, said. “What happened there was horrible, but you can’t blame that on the building. It’s a part of downtown Columbus, and I hope the new owners are successful.”
Lindeman said the response to the reopening has been “90 percent positive” thus far.
“We’ve gotten a lot of feedback, especially on our Facebook page,” she said. “Most of it has been very positive, but there are some people who said they didn’t think we should reopen the bar.”
Aside from a minor altercation, Lindeman said the Friday-night grand opening went well.
Smith escorted an unruly patron out of the bar without police intervention.
“Our first night went well,” Lindeman said. “There were a good bit of people there. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and we had several people tell us they were excited about the reopening and some of them even thanked us. We just want to give people another place to enjoy themselves and hang out with their friends.”
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