Curve Inn

Curve Inn is a bar and grill located at 3219 South 6th Street in Springfield, Illinois, United States. The building that houses the business was constructed in 1932, and a bar first opened there the same year under the name Copps Corner, run by the Copps family until 1945. In 1945, Guido Manci purchased the building from the Copp family and renamed the bar The Curve Inn, the name it has retained through subsequent ownership changes. The establishment has a long and colorful local history: it once had a scandalous reputation for offering prostitution and illegal gambling, with customers able to ring a buzzer at the bottom of the back stairs to access apartments above the bar. A grocery store and gas station once stood next door, and just to the north was a meat packing plant called Pegwill Packing, whose workers would walk through the alley to have a cold drink at The Curve Inn. Neil McGillivray purchased The Curve Inn on August 10, 1972, keeping the name and expanding the business by opening the Cask & Keg, an exclusive club for regulars only. He also featured a piano bar and a guitarist who played several times each week; the original Cask & Keg signs are still displayed on the outside front of the building. The current owners, Ray and Ami Merchant, purchased The Curve Inn on November 15, 2002, and have kept the name as well. Under their ownership the bar has celebrated 20 years of operation and has been nominated for best overall bar several years in a row. The Curve Inn hosts many local, regional, and national acts on its state-of-the-art beer garden stage, and it is active in the community, supporting a number of local charities each year and raising thousands of dollars. The bar offers lunch, happy hours, darts, live music, karaoke, and live gaming, and describes itself as Central Illinois' number one bar.

The building that houses Curve Inn was built in 1932. The Copps family opened a bar in it the same year, naming it Copps Corner, and operated the business until 1945. In 1945, Guido Manci purchased the building from the Copp family and named the bar The Curve Inn. Guido's nephew, Louie Manci, currently owns Louie's on Stanton Avenue in Springfield, which is a frequent stop on several of the Curve Inn's fundraising excursions. Historically, there was a grocery store and gas station next door, and just to the north of The Curve Inn was a meat packing plant called Pegwill Packing; workers at the plant would walk through the alley to have a cold drink at The Curve Inn. The Curve Inn had a scandalous history offering prostitution and illegal gambling; customers could ring a buzzer at the bottom of the back stairs and enter the apartments above the bar for entertainment with the ladies. Neil McGillivray purchased The Curve Inn on August 10, 1972, keeping the name. He expanded by opening the Cask & Keg, an exclusive club for regulars only. Neil had a piano bar and a guitarist who played several times each week. The original Cask & Keg signs are still on the outside on the front of the building. The current owners, Ray and Ami Merchant, purchased The Curve Inn on November 15, 2002, keeping the name as well. Now celebrating 20 years under their ownership and nominated for the best overall bar several years in a row, The Curve Inn hosts many local, regional, and national acts in their state-of-the-art beer garden stage. The Curve is also very active in the community with a number of local charities it supports each year, raising thousands of dollars. The bar invites visitors for lunch, happy hours, darts, live music, karaoke, and live gaming.

• 2022

  The Curve Inn celebrates 20 years under Merchant ownership.

• 2002

  Ray and Ami Merchant purchase The Curve Inn on November 15.

• 1972

  Neil McGillivray purchases The Curve Inn on August 10; later opens the Cask & Keg club.

• 1945

  Guido Manci purchases the building and renames the bar The Curve Inn.

• 1932

  Building constructed; Copps family opens Copps Corner bar.

A historic neighborhood bar and grill in Springfield, Illinois, positioning itself as Central Illinois' number one bar, known for live music, community involvement, and a storied past.

• Bar and grill food

• Alcoholic beverages

• Live music entertainment

• Karaoke

• Darts

• Live gaming

1. 1Curve Inn | Bar | 3219 South 6th Street, Springfield, IL, USAcurveinnbar.com
2. 2Curve Inn - Wikidatawikidata.org