Our Rich History: From Drawbridge Inn and restaurants to Ormsby, a Life Plan Community

By Raymond G. Hebert, PhD
Special to NKyTribune

Part 12 of an occasional series about Casual & Fine Dining

In the 1960s, with the construction of I-75 in Northern Kentucky, it became necessary for residents to depend on automobiles and, more importantly, for suburbs like Fort Mitchell to be ready for commuters and travelers alike. In 1968 the cities of Fort Mitchell and the much larger South Fort Mitchell merged.

Literature from that early period emphasizes that the automobile culture (to replace the streetcars that came into Fort Mitchell) was combined with two other elements: the removal of the homes on Grace Avenue to accommodate the entrance ramp to I-75 from Buttermilk Pike and the purchase of the nearby property by Jerry Deters in the late 1960s (“Goodbye to the Drawbridge Inn: The Early Days, May 23, 2014) .

Deters had big ideas involving a hotel, conference center, and multiple restaurants and it all began in “November 1970 with the opening of the Rowntowner Motor Inn, a reimagined nameplate and concept of motels . . . the model in Fort Mitchell was logical because the sprawling facility could host large meetings.” Ironically, without a major convention center in Northern Kentucky at the time, for many years, the Rowntowner served as one until the new Convention Center was built in Covington in 1998 (“Early Days”).

In the mid-1970s, the name changed from the Rowntowner to the Drawbridge Motor Inn, with two restaurants: the Gatehouse Taverne, featuring steaks and fresh seafood (later Josh’s), and the Crossbow Taverne. As an aside, I was on two different community boards at that time and eagerly looked forward to annual dinners at the Gatehouse Taverne because, after you crossed the moat into this separate building, it was like being in a Tudor castle. There was even a painting of King Henry VIII, for example, that transformed one of the rooms into a private dining area suitable for the noted king himself.

The peak years for the Drawbridge were the 1970s and 1980s and, as noted, the English-inspired Tudor flair throughout “appealed to the theme-hungry masses of the day.” More importantly, it was in an ideal location — not in downtown Cincinnati, but close enough, not an airport hotel but again, just close enough, halfway between the airport and downtown Cincinnati. Many airport travelers, including pilots and cabin attendants, were seen entering or exiting on a regular basis. “A host of meeting rooms, restaurants, lounges, and a coffee shop ensured that the complex had activity 24 hours a day” ( “Goodbye to the Drawbridge Inn: Heyday Expansion” , June 23, 2014).

The Inn’s success encouraged growth, as the 1980s “found America and the Cincinnati region inundated with the need for more options for dining out and entertainment.” The Gatehouse Taverne helped meet that need (1981). In early 1982, there were disagreements with some Fort Mitchell residents over the closing and later rerouting of Grace Avenue. The resulting suit “would be dismissed in spring 1983 by US Judge William Bertelsman. In December 1982, the next step project broke ground.” The hotel was expanded and the main convention space, known as London Hall, was remodeled (“Heyday Expansion”). As an example of its success, an annual tradition around Thanksgiving was soon developed— frequented by today’s 30 and 40-somethings, like my daughters. NKU’s Northerner , in a reflection piece by author Drew Chalfant, spoke of the annual event as “the unofficial biggest bar night of the year.”

In Chalfant’s words:

“For only one night a year, a rather unassuming hotel in Ft. Mitchell becomes the site of the locally famous ‘Turkey Bash.’ PETA members can put their poster board and Sharpies down; no turkeys are harmed in this massive inebriation celebration. The bash serves up bands like Spincycle, with a DJ for the musical appetites. And for the partygoers who last out the night, they could hit the breakfast buffet at Chaucer’s . . . get there early, for the Turkey Bash fills up faster than Stove Top for one night of gluttonous glory.”

Obviously, it was still an option for a Thanksgiving night out as late as 2006 (Drew Chalfant, “This Thanksgiving, Knock one Back,” The Northerner , November 15, 2006).

Another example of the flourishing years came in January 1984, when, as a replacement for an earlier dinner theater idea, it was thought that having a “small brewery” on the property, with “an entertainment center, restaurant, and a festhaus” would be a step ahead of what was being projected nationally as a natural response to the “deregulation of home brewing.” By mid-1985, the city of Fort Mitchell had approved the construction bonds. Deters began construction in late 1985. The Oldenberg Brewery and Entertainment Complex opened in the fall of 1987 and, with the persistence of Gerry Deters, was successful for over a decade. At the heart of it, “with the aesthetics of a 19th Century brewery facility, were two restaurants — J .D. Brews and an expensive German dining hall with a ceiling that surpassed 60 feet” (“Heyday Expansion”).

The Oldenberg complex purchased the Haydock Breweriana collection, and in 1992, officially became the home of the American Museum of Brewing History and Arts. A campaign was started to earn the accolade of being known as “America’s Most Awarded Microbrewery” (Sarah Stephen, Cincinnati Brewing History ). To the credit of Gerry Deters, its founder and owner, the Oldenberg Brewery had a number of remarkable features, including “1) historically accurate buildings, with Addison Clipson as the architect; 2) 19th Century-like stone masonry to reflect the German ancestry; 3) visually appealing towers and cupolas; 4) ornate ironwork and skylights; 5) antique display cases; 6) a remarkable 40-foot clock, 100 years old—restored by Hal Wehling of the National Watch and Clock Collectors of America; and 7) an old phone booth from Cincinnati’s well-remembered Gayety Theater, Cincinnati’s famous burlesque house of the 1930s. Taken from the Oldenberg Brewery’s promotional literature entitled “The Building of Oldenberg,” the marketing piece concluded appropriately that it was all thanks to Jerry Deters “for making Oldenberg a reality.”

Meanwhile, by the late-1980s, the complex boasted over 500 guest rooms, five restaurants, three pools, and twenty-two meeting rooms. The newest, upscale restaurant was Josh’s and the facility was flourishing. By the 1990s, however, after over a decade of extensive and expensive expansion, the spiraling costs conflicted with a shift in public tastes and preferences and a parallel growth of competing venues on the Cincinnati side of the Ohio River.

Dr. Paul Tenkotte and C. Adam Hartke, in their history of Fort Mitchell, chronicle these years well, emphasizing that many of the “city’s restaurants had come and gone,” “while others opened and expanded.” The Greyhound Tavern reopened and was remodeled in 1987, and the Oriental Wok, in a larger space from its original strip mall location in Edgewood, has continued on and flourished because, in each case, they filled a specific need (Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD, and C. Adam Hartke, A Home of Our Own: The Suburb of Fort Mitchell Kentucky 1910–2010. Cincinnati, OH : Black Tie Press, 2011, pp. 96-97).

The Drawbridge Motor Inn and Convention Center had grown exponentially over a decade, so “by 1982, it had become the third largest in the metropolitan area, complete with convention facilities like the 14,000-square-foot London-Hall, the 7,500-square-foot Canterbury Hall, the 6,000-square-foot House of Stuart, and the 4,000-square-foot each House of York and House of Tudor.” By the latter 1980s, “there was a labor force of more than 450.” Sadly, the “505 rooms, over 30,000 square feet of meeting space, six restaurants, and three pools” were far more than was necessary and, first “the Oldenberg Brewery closed in 2000” followed by, as increased competition became more impactful, “the Inn declared Chapter II bankruptcy in 2003.” As a final step, “in 2011, new owners acquired the hotel” (Tenkotte and Hartke).

Not surprisingly, after several years of vacancy, the former Drawbridge Inn was demolished in April 2014, “to make way for a 75,000 square foot office building for the Christ Hospital Health Network and a retail and residential development. The new 20-acre site included the former Oldenberg Brewery, which was demolished in the fall of 2013” (Brenna R. Kelly and Cindy Schroeder, “Drawbridge Inn Demolition Underway,” Cincinnati Enquirer , April 6, 2014). In a poignant end to the article, the writers noted “about 10,000 customers purchased everything from the hotel’s furniture to fixtures at a liquidation sale. Some of the leftover items were donated to charity, and local nonprofits were invited to remove other items from the hotel” (Kelly and Schroeder).

As for the plans introduced by the Christ Hospital Network, they did not receive the State of Kentucky’s approval to build a healthcare facility on the site. Instead, more recently, “the City of Fort Mitchell came to an agreement with the Buttermilk Pike Development Company for a mixed-use development (25 acres) . . . along Buttermilk Pike, Grace Court, and Royal Drive.” Also involved are St. Elizabeth Healthcare, Greenbriar Development of Dallas TX, and Bellevue, Kentucky-based real estate developer Brandicorp LLC, who are working together on the project, described as “a long time coming.” To Jude Hehman, the Mayor of Fort Mitchell, “the site will be transformative” ( “Mixed-use development coming to former Drawbridge Inn site in Fort Mitchell” WCPO Cincinnati, May 4, 2023)

All that is certain, for the time being, is that the three-phase construction process will result in a “continuous care retirement facility, to be named “ The Ormsby ” after the “late Major General Ormsby McKnight Mitchell of the Union Army.” While no buildings have been constructed, there is a website and local office in Fort Mitchell advertising “luxury retirement living” and conducting a series of introductory lunches.

While little else is known at this early stage, the suggestion has been made that a major anchor of the project could be “an over nine-story retirement center featuring between 195 and 203 independent living units with access to catered living, memory care, gerontology, and skilled nursing . . . (with) a 400,000 square foot parking garage underneath the building.” A senior St. Elizabeth Healthcare administrator said proudly of the prospect that: “in essence, this is really to allow seniors to age in place and hopefully enhance their health and vitality as they are aging” (WCPO Channel 9).

Significantly, just recently in August of 2024, it was announced locally that the concept development plan briefly touched upon above has been approved by the Kenton County Planning Commission, on Thursday, August 1, 2024 (Minutes of Kentucky County Planning Commission .)

I can certainly imagine Jerry Deters being proud that this space that was his dream could have such a farsighted and useful impact on the community he loved so much.

Dr. Raymond G. Hebert is Professor of History and Executive Director of the William T. Robinson III Institute for Religious Liberty at Thomas More University. He is the leading author of Thomas More University at 100: Purpose, People, and Pathways to Student Success (2023). The book can be purchased by contacting the Thomas More University Bookstore at 859-344-3335. Dr. Hebert can be contacted at hebertr@thomasmore.edu

Paul A. Tenkotte, PhD is Editor of the “Our Rich History” weekly series and Professor of History and Gender Studies at Northern Kentucky University (NKU). He can be contacted at tenkottep@nku.edu. Tenkotte also serves as Director of the ORVILLE Project (Ohio River Valley Innovation Library and Learning Enrichment). For more information see https://orvillelearning.org/

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