From Classic Bar to Barrett’s Barleycorn: The History of Midtown’s Irish Pub

Published October 13, 2023 | Updated August 28, 2026

October 13, 2023

As the Nebraska Medical Center steadily grew around it, one small building on Leavenworth Street endured. Constructed in 1952, the building is now home to Barrett’s Barleycorn. Its beginning can be traced back to William Growney who opened its predecessor, a neighborhood watering hole called the Classic Bar.

William had taken over Ralph Piscopo’s bar by 1946 when he was just 36 years old. He didn’t stay at the location long as business was so good that he commissioned a brand-new building for his bar next door at 4322 Leavenworth Street.

The original location of the Classic Bar sits just a couple of doors east at 4312 Leavenworth in what used to be a Piggly Wiggly grocery store and the Harmonica Bar.

With Leavenworth Street being a main thoroughfare to and from downtown, he needed his bar to stand out from the crowd. Rather than installing neon signs which appeared on businesses including La Casa and Bronco’s, he opted to let the building itself do the work with its mid-century design. A 1952 Omaha World-Herald article described it as has having a rounded aluminum cantilevered canopy that overhangs the front of the building and its large windows. Designed by architect Stuart P. Knutson and built by A.R. Carlson, the brick building included an offset entrance and a plant box to the side.

Construction of the Classic Bar in 1952. Photo courtesy of Durham Museum.

The building was a favorite among those who lived nearby. Like many other bars near Aksarben, it was also a popular stop among the horse racing crowd. To that end, William prominently displayed photographs of racehorses behind the bar. According to the newspaper, Classic Bar earned the first penny after the State of Nebraska instituted a sales tax in 1967. The revenue came from a pint of beer that was sold just after midnight. By 1971, his Classic Bar was drawing patrons from all over. He told the newspaper: “Today our customers come from Benson, west Omaha, South Omaha – all over. And they’re younger. Now the median age is 25. We get a lot of young singles or newly marrieds.” At that time, he credited his son, Larry, who worked as its night manager, with some of its appeal.

1971 photograph inside the Classic Bar. Courtesy of Omaha-World Herald.

The business continued as the Classic Bar for a time after William’s death in 1972. His successor, Bob Price, appears to be the person responsible for installing its grill which I imagine was always located in the front of the small rectangular building across from its entrance.

2023 Omaha Exploration photo of Barrett’s Barleycorn on Leavenworth Street.

Before Frank Barrett opened the Barleycorn, the bar had a run as the New Classic Bar. For Frank, the bar helped realize a lifelong dream. He was nearing the end of an illustrious career as the president and chief executive officer at Central National Insurance Company when he opened the place in 1987. It would serve as a welcoming gathering place for everyone including politicians who used the bar for rallies and fundraisers.

2025 Omaha Exploration photo looking towards the entrance at Barrett’s Barleycorn.

Frank was proudly Irish so it’s likely that the Barleycorn name was either inspired by the popular Irish band The Barleycorn which got its start in Belfast in 1971 and quickly rose up the Irish charts. Or perhaps it was inspired by the autobiographical memoir, John Barleycorn, in which Jack London chronicles his lifelong battle with alcoholism as well as masculinity and male friendship.

2025 Omaha Exploration photo looking inside Barrett’s Barleycorn. The small kitchen is on the other side of the bar on the right.

With help from his daughter, Mary, Barrett’s earned a reputation for hosting one of the best St. Patrick’s Day parties in town. The festivities didn’t stop there as it became a favorite of those from the bayou. With the Louisiana State Tigers baseball team often making the trek to Omaha to play in the College World Series, they made the bar its unofficial headquarters.

2024 Omaha Exploration photo of the mural on the east wall of Barrett’s Barleycorn.

The Barrett family continued to make improvements to the bar ever since. That includes the addition of a sand volleyball court in the 1980s when it had become a popular bar sport. They also installed a patio that sits between the bar and a building that the family turned into Castle Barrett and the B Bar, the former being a reception hall. The distinctive Irish-themed mural greeting those who pass by from the east was added in 2013. That tiny kitchen also developed a reputation for slinging some of the best bar food in town.

While Frank passed away in 2019, the Barrett’s Midtown staple, now run by Karen and Tiger, remains a presence despite the Med Center’s growth. It remains “the friendliest pub and grill around.”

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