Otto Moser's, the Cleveland tavern that once hosted the biggest stage stars of the vaudeville era, is set to reopen for a couple of hours at its original East 4th Street location. The pub closed for good in 2018 after 125 years of service in Cleveland, but its legacy of celebrity photographs and theater history is getting a brief revival through a themed event planned at the site now occupied by the Wonder Bar.
According to a report from Cleveland.com, the event is scheduled to take place at the Wonder Bar, located at 2044 E. 4th St. — the same address where Otto Moser's was founded by Otto F. Moser in 1893, according to the Case Western Reserve University Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. That original storefront sat near Cleveland's Euclid Avenue Opera House when it opened, per freshwatercleveland.com.
A Tavern Built on Star Power
Otto Moser's built its reputation as a hangout for the theatrical elite who performed just steps away. The tavern attracted entertainers including John Barrymore, W.C. Fields, George M. Cohan, Lillian Russell and Fanny Brice, per freshwatercleveland.com's account of the pub's 125-year run. Many of those performers reportedly left photographs of themselves behind, building a collection the Cleveland.com report says now totals more than 650 historic images.
Local author and historian Chris Roy spent five years identifying the people captured in that collection, according to the same Cleveland.com report. Roy wound up with roughly 600 identifications out of 650 to 700 photographs, a separate cleveland.com account on his book noted. That research became the basis for his 2025 book, “Mr. Moser's Neighborhood: The Intersection of Cleveland and Vaudeville,” a 236-page volume from Artography Press priced at $45, according to the same cleveland.com report, which describes it as a light social history focusing on Cleveland's vaudeville era, roughly 1885 to 1930.
What's Planned at the Wonder Bar
Per the Cleveland.com report, Chris Roy is set to lead the Otto Moser's pub event, which focuses on the tavern's legendary run and the stage celebrities who partied and performed there between 1893 and 1930. Historic photographs are expected to be displayed as part of the gathering, and Roy is expected to narrate a video show featuring stories and images of former downtown live theaters, the outlet reported.
Steve Dimotsis, a former owner of Otto Moser's, is scheduled to attend, according to the same report. Dan Bir and Dimotsis purchased the restaurant in 1977, the Case Western Reserve University Encyclopedia of Cleveland History notes. The event is described in the Cleveland.com report as a collaboration tied to Cleveland History Days, involving Canalway Partners and the Cleveland Public Library.
From East 4th Street to Playhouse Square — and Back
Otto Moser's didn't stay at its East 4th Street storefront forever. The tavern moved to the Bulkley Building at 1425 Euclid Avenue in Playhouse Square early in 1994, according to the Case Western Reserve University Encyclopedia of Cleveland History. That Euclid Avenue space has since been replaced by Republic Food and Drink, which, per the encyclopedia, displays many of the original signed photographs from Otto Moser's. Freshwatercleveland.com likewise describes Republic Food and Drink as paying tribute to its forerunner by keeping those signed photos on its walls.
Meanwhile, the original East 4th Street building that once housed Otto Moser's is now home to the Wonder Bar, according to freshwatercleveland.com's history of the tavern. It's that original address — not the later Playhouse Square location — where the upcoming event is set to take place.
Event Details and Caveats
The Cleveland.com report states the gathering is slated to run from noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, and that the bar will be open, with pub tours and a question-and-answer session; details and registration are available at cpl.libcal.com. Those specifics come directly from the outlet's report and have not been independently verified beyond that account. The pub's programming echoes a broader push by local institutions, including the Cuyahoga County Public Library, to preserve and interpret Cleveland's vaudeville-era entertainment history through archival photographs and theater research.
