Blues drifts out of the Slippery Noodle Inn, an Indianapolis bar and restaurant with two performance stages, in business since 1850. This building opened in 1850 as the Tremont House and holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously operating bar in the state of Indiana. It is also the oldest commercial building in the city, its tin ceiling dating to 1890 and the oak bar more than a century old.
During the American Civil War the Inn served as a stop on the Underground Railroad, and during Prohibition it was officially a restaurant even though beer was still being made in the basement. In later years it housed a brothel until 1953, and it has operated under the name Slippery Noodle Inn since 1963. For decades it has hosted many legendary blues performers and today remains one of the region’s most prominent blues venues.
Stand here and imagine the changing uses of this space across time — travelers in 1850, secretive activity during the Civil War, quiet brewing in a basement through Prohibition, and late-night music crowds more recently. Notice that beer once quietly brewed in the basement through Prohibition, even while the building operated up front as an ordinary restaurant.