BY TERRY FLYNN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
DAYTON, Ky. -- The name is the same, and the decor will remind many of the good old disco days in Covington. The new Conservatory bar and restaurant is opening here at the Watertown Yacht Club.
Attorney Lanny Holbrook, who owns the marina, has acquired the rights to the Conservatory name from former owner Irv Roger, a friend of Mr. Holbrook's.
"We expect to have the bar portion open in about two weeks," Mr. Holbrook said.
"The restaurant will take a little longer. I want to bring back the feeling of the original Conservatory. It was such a popular place to meet."
The Conservatory, which was nestled under the Brent Spence Bridge near the Holiday Inn at the west end of Third Street, was one of the hottest restaurants and nightclubs in the area in the 1970s and early 1980s -- before the opening of the Waterfront and before the trendy bars on Main Street in Cincinnati grabbed a lot of the business.
"We think we can bring a lot of that feeling back at the marina," Mr. Holbrook said.
"We have a great view of the river and the Cincinnati hills to go with the atmosphere inside."
Patrons of the Conservatory will no doubt remember the big stained-glass window at the entrance.
That same piece of stained glass now adorns the new Conservatory. "We have some of the lights that are the same as those that hung in the original club," Mr. Holbrook said. "We have a new sound system and a new lighting system for the stage and dance floor." Just like the original, the new Conservatory will place a lot of emphasis on dancing, he said.
"I think there are a lot of people who still want a place where they can go to dance and enjoy themselves in an entertaining atmosphere," Mr. Holbrook said. "We're going to have different types of music, including disco and rock."
