From Marylebone to True American Bar and Spirits

January 19, 2024

Throughout the course of his career, Rusty Harmsen opened some of the Old Market’s most iconic bars and restaurants including, Mister Toad and Spaghetti Works. He turned his attention to midtown in 1970 when he set out to open a bar with business partner Artie Abariotes.

Built in 1931, the building at 3710 Leavenworth Street had been the home of Canfield Cleaners before Irving Gossick turned it into the Wishing Well Lounge in 1940. Artie was the co-owner of the Wishing Well when the business was put up for sale. Rusty purchased the bar with business partners Tom Williams and Bill Pomeroy.

Photo of the Marylebone Tavern in 1975 before the fire.

As he had with his other establishments, Rusty helped redesign the bar, which reopened as Marylebone Lounge in 1971. Named after a district in West End London, the new bar had an early ski lodge theme. It featured a round bar with a copper surface, a copper fireplace, plush carpet, and booths with seating for 60. Even though it was not described in the newspaper in as much detail as some of Rusty’s other places, I suspect it also included some of the antiques, signs, and artifacts that he became known for.

Photo of the Marylebone after the fire. I don’t have a date but suspect it is late 1970’s or early 80’s.

The following year the bar opened a tiny kitchen that served hamburger reubens, which substituted corned beef for ground beef, in addition to a standard hamburger, curly fries, and daily specials. It even provided live music on the weekends, which included country, rock, jazz, pop, and standards. Unfortunately, a two-alarm fire in 1976 caused extensive damage to the interior, requiring it to be renovated. Whatever decor was inside at the time was destroyed. When it reopened after the fire, the stucco walls were painted tan with green and black stripes, while the decor was art deco. A large photo of Harry Truman was on display in the back room.

The large shamrock being painted out front the Marylebone on Leavenworth.

After Rusty moved on from Marylebone, Bob Blankenship took over and remodeled the bar in 1981. The remodel included an addition called the “Maverick Room,” a dining and party room that displayed photos of the University of Nebraska at Omaha campus and a mural of the school’s maverick logo. The grand reopening of the popular bar included a coin-operated rocking horse, an expanded menu, and live entertainment every night of the week. The bar was popular not only among college students but Pittsburgh Steelers fans and Saint Patrick’s Day revelers as well.

Photo of the Marylebone between 2017-2020 before it was gutted and renovated.

Perhaps the most notable thing about Marylebone started in 1978, when a large shamrock was first painted in front of the building on Leavenworth Street. Technically against the law, the city looked the other way, as the paint usually wears away quickly under heavy traffic. While in years past the police would put up barricades and direct traffic while the painting was underway, they refused to do so in 1983, causing one of the painters to be struck by a car. Fortunately, the injury was minor. Marylebone raised money to help cover the medical expenses of one of its regulars.

2024 photo of the renovated building that used to be Marylebone Bar and Grill. It will reopen as True American Bar and Spirits.

While the Bone closed for good in 2020, the building was completely gutted and reopened as True American Bar and Spirits. If you are hoping for a throwback to its past life, you will be disappointed by the transformation. That said, the upscale cocktail lounge with only on-street parking and a 1970s vibe has earned its place in the nightlife scene along Leavenworth Street and has become a popular neighborhood go-to for great drinks.

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