Richi’s Tavern and the Dewey Road Inn

Here’s a great ad for the Grand Opening of Richi's Tavern (later known as Dewey Road Inn), which was located on Dewey Road in Amherst, just a little north of North Ridge Road. Dominic Richi was the owner and proprietor.

The almost half-page ad ran in the Lorain Journal on August 28, 1945 – 74 years ago today.

Featured performers for the Grand Opening event were the Moonlight Ramblers, associated with Cleveland radio station WHK.

Richi's Tavern was actually the new name for a business that was previously at that location: Country Gardens. Dominic Richi was the proprietor of that establishment as well.

Amherst News-Times ad from June 11, 1942

Unfortunately, Country Gardens was destroyed in a fire in early November 1944.

Article from Chronicle-Telegram of Nov. 11, 1944

Less than a year later, the tavern was back in business in a new building and under a new name. A series of ads in the Amherst News-Times announced the comeback.

April 19, 1945 Ad

May 3, 1945 Ad

August 23, 1945

Here are a few late 1940s newspaper ads.

October 3, 1947 ad from the Chronicle-Telegram

June 23, 1948 ad from the Sandusky Register

Some time in the early 1960s, Richi's Tavern changed its name to Dewey Road Inn.

December 28, 1963 ad from the Lorain Journal

July 1, 1966 ad from the Lorain Journal

August 7, 1969 ad from the Lorain Journal

Sadly, just like Country Gardens, the Dewey Road Inn was lost to a fire. A short article in the January 20, 1977 Amherst News-Times told the story.

And here's the Lorain Journal's account of the fire.

From January 19, 1977 Journal

The burned-out tavern was vacant for more than 15 years before it was finally torn down in the early 1990s.

Today its location on Dewey Road is an empty lot just to the south of Amherst Village MHC.

Dominic Richi passed away in 1997.