In about one year, Bobby Mackey’s patrons could be back on the dance floor -and the bull – in a brand new building.
Initial plans for the new Bobby Mackey’s honky tonk-bar and music venue were unanimously approved at a Wilder Planning and Zoning meeting on June 22.
The plans call for an 8,400-square-foot single-story nightclub. The proposed building will be located in approximately the same location as the former building at 44 Licking Pike.
Mackey first opened the original bar in 1978. Nestled between Licking Pike and a railroad, the nightclub rose to prominence by hosting live performances from Mackey, along with other prominent local and national artists.
In March 2024, Bobby Mackey’s temporarily moved to 8405 US-42 in Florence after the century-old building began to show its age. The bar then sat vacant until it was demolished on Dec. 10, 2024.
There will be a north parking lot for employees and deliveries and a south parking lot for patrons. The existing rights-of-way for Licking Pike and Queen City Avenue are being used to access the property, which is on the south side of the building rather than the side that faces the AA Highway, as before.
Vice President of Cardinal Engineering Corporation Jeff Flaherty was at the meeting on behalf of Mackey. He said the building will sit further down from the road than in the past.
“The building is quite a bit away from the highway now, and there’s a slope, so that building’s going to sit down quite a bit further than the road,” Flaherty said. “The first story of the building will be like 10 or 12 feet below the level of the road.”
“It’s not like the old building where you walk out right into the highway,” Wilder Planning and Zoning Commissioner Eric Muench said.
Wilder Planning and Zoning Commissioner Richard Fowler asked if the infamous well would be reused.
Besides being a hot spot for country music, Bobby Mackey’s was also famous for paranormal activity. The property accumulated numerous ghost stories over the decades, including the alleged murder of Headless Pearl Bryan in 1896. The bar’s basement was often referred to as “The Portal to Hell” and featured water stains that were said to resemble human faces.
“It’s where all the ghosts are at,” Flaherty said. “So, he’s going to put a glass-like thing over it, so you can look down into the well.”
A mechanical bull will also be reimplemented in the new Bobby Mackey’s.
Flaherty said he anticipates the opening day to be a year from the June 22 meeting. He said he believed Bobby Mackey’s would keep the same hours of operation, which are currently Friday from 7 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. and Saturday from 7 p.m. to 2:30 a.m.
