As
I wrapped up my previous post on the Joseph Ferris House, I mentioned that
since the building ceased to be a residence that it had been occupied by various
businesses. In the 1960s, the house was home to a series of restaurants and
lounges.
In
1962, the Ferris House and surrounding acreage were purchased by
Columbia-Wooster Building, Inc., owned by the Hoxby family, commercial real
estate investors. Hoxby Enterprises, Inc. was headed by British-born Harry J.
Hoxby. The Columbia-Wooster complex with its bank and office buildings was
inspired by the colonial architecture of the Ferris House. The Ferris House was
converted to a restaurant and lounge. The first liquor license at the location was
issued to the Columbia Lounge in July 1963.
Later
in 1963, the Hoxbys announced the upcoming opening of The George and Dragon, a
250-seat fine dining restaurant. A large statue of St. George slaying a dragon
was constructed outside of the restaurant.
In
case you aren’t familiar with the tale of St. George and the Dragon, here is the
story in a nutshell. A town was terrorized by a dragon that required
sacrifices. Initially, livestock was sacrificed, but as the supply ran out,
human sacrifices began. In time, the king’s daughter was selected for
sacrifice. George, hearing the plight of the unfortunate princess, travelled from
afar to come to her rescue. When he arrived in town, he found a dragon covered by
heavy scales that his trusty sword couldn’t penetrate. He slayed the dragon by
plunging the sword under its wing, where there were no scales. Because of his
valiant actions, St. George is the patron saint of England and several other
countries, cities, and groups. Perhaps Harry Hoxby’s British background inspired
the restaurant’s theme.
The
George and Dragon opened in September 1964, serving French and European
cuisine. The executive chef had previously worked at the Four Seasons in New
York and had a staff of French chefs. The general manager had been employed by
Delmonico’s in New York. Pretty high-class personnel for a restaurant in humble
little Fairfax! The George and Dragon was initially in high demand. According
to an October 9, 1964 Cincinnati Post article, “Three thousand sent in
requests for credit cards and most of them tried to show up on opening night a
month ago.” The George and Dragon also had a cocktail lounge, the Dragon’s Den,
with live entertainment.
After
three months, the initial concept didn’t seem to be working. The management
said there was a language barrier with the English-speaking servers unable to
read the French menus and the French chefs not understanding the servers’
English. They also said the kitchen was too small to prepare French cuisine.
The general manager and executive chef and his staff were dismissed, replaced by
personnel with experience at other establishments in the Cincinnati area. The
menu changed from European cuisine to American favorites.
The revamped George and Dragon also reduced the number of menu offerings, cut prices on
lunch items, and expanded lunch service to the restaurant instead of only
serving lunch in the Dragon’s Den. In January 1965, they had a month of Monday
ladies’ nights when women dining with an escort could get a free meal. Dancing
in the Dragon’s Den was expanded to weekdays and the restaurant began offering
dancing on Saturday nights.
By
September 1965, the George and Dragon and Dragon’s Den had ceased operation.
The building was in foreclosure and was purchased at a sheriff’s auction for
two-thirds of the appraisal value by Phoenix Mutual Life Insurance Company. In
early 1966, Imperial Foods signed a long-term lease to operate the restaurant
and lounge. Imperial maintained the name, décor, and statue, but served
American cuisine with some European specialties at a much lower price point.
The restaurant reopened in April 1966 without a liquor license for the first
six weeks, but the Cincinnati Enquirer reported on June 3, 1966 that the
restaurant was “getting a good reception in spite of it.” The restaurant added
a Friday seafood buffet, which became fairly popular. These ads for the
reimagined George and Dragon are from the Cincinnati Catholic Telegraph:
Despite
the efforts of the new ownership, the George and Dragon restaurant dropped meal
service in April 1968, concentrating their efforts on the Dragon’s Den. The
former restaurant space was used for private parties. According to an
April 26, 1968 Cincinnati Post article, the Dragon’s Den would be
managed by the former manager of the Playboy Club and Little Foxes Top of the
Inn (sort of a Playboy Club knockoff), who promised “new entertainment, an
across-the-board price, limited dinner menu and pretty, young waitresses in
abbreviated French maid outfits.” I have a feeling they stopped advertising in
the Cincinnati Catholic Telegraph about this time.
In
August 1968, Imperial Foods turned over the establishment to Hospitality
Management Services, Inc., a subsidiary company with a sense of humor, it
seems. The name of the restaurant was changed from the dignified George and
Dragon to the campy Guy on a Horse. Remember the St. George and the Dragon
statue? The publicist for Hospitality Management explained that the previous
owners “left behind a horrendous 15-foot statue of a knight on horseback.
Goodwill wouldn’t take it and dynamite wouldn’t budge it. This mistake out of
the past still stands at the side of our new restaurant and being eternal
optimists, we have endeavored to somehow make use of it.”
An
executive of Hospitality Management explained that they wanted to serve
interesting food, while removing the stuffiness from the establishment. A
November 1, 1968 Cincinnati Post article described the menu as follows:
The
menu [contains] a series of asides that range from appetizers (“order one,
you’ll need it”) to desserts (“may we suggest bicarbonate of soda, served in
the lobby”).
The
soup listing carries the admonition “no slurping in the dining room, please”;
salads are described as “frequently better than the entrée” and the cold buffet
as “leftovers.”
Guests
are urged to have a before-dinner cocktail because “the profit’s in the liquor,
not the food,” and to visit the wine cellar but “no pinching our wenches,
please.”
Even
the prices from $4 to $6 for entrée, vegetable, potato, salad and beverage are
kidded – “you can buy better, but you can’t pay more.”
Despite
their attempts to remove stuffiness from the fine dining experience, Guy on a
Horse fared no better than its predecessor and closed in June 1969.
Next
up for the old Joseph Ferris House was the Italian Den, intended to be the
first of a national chain of mid-price restaurants to bridge the gap between
high-priced fine dining establishments and fast food joints. One of the first
orders of business was to get rid of the St. George and the Dragon statue, the
demise of which was documented in the September 5, 1969 Cincinnati Post. A sad
day, to be sure.
By November 1969, the Italian Den was under new
ownership. The new owners temporarily suspended service in the restaurant to redecorate and make it look more Italian. (I wonder if they added red and white check
tablecloths and candles in old Chianti bottles.) They continued to operate the
lounge as a nightspot until the restaurant was ready.
By July 1970, the restaurant and lounge business in
the Ferris House was finished. Italian Den was gone and the building was occupied by Structural Dynamics Research Corporation. The corporation used the kitchen as their computer room and the dining room for seminars.
I was quite young while these restaurants were in
operation and have no recollection of them. I don’t even remember the St.
George and the Dragon statue. I have to say that this story was a headscratcher
for me. Let’s face it, Fairfax is known for primarily for fast food and the
iconic Frisch’s Mainliner. Fine dining doesn’t seem like a good fit and, as it
turned out, it wasn’t. I wouldn’t mind a
nice mid-priced restaurant, though (a statue is optional).
Sources
Cincinnati
Catholic Telegraph,
various dates, September 30, 1966 to November 11, 1966
The Cincinnati Enquirer, June 3, 1966
The
Cincinnati Post, various
dates, July 29, 1963 to July 17, 1970
(Detailed
sources available upon request.)
