The Curve Inn, a longtime neighborhood bar in Southern View, Illinois, has reopened its doors after a fire that tore through its beer garden and entertainment space in February left the building with severe damage and a partial roof collapse. Owners Ami and Ray Merchant spent months rebuilding before welcoming customers back for lunch, dinner and drinks.
The fire broke out at the Curve Inn's longtime location at 3219 S. Sixth St. on Feb. 20, according to The State Journal-Register. At the time, firefighters could not immediately say what had sparked the blaze, with WCIA reporting that night, “No one was hurt but firefighters don't know what started it yet.” Investigators later ruled the fire accidental, concluding it was electrical in nature and began in the center roof area of the beer garden, according to the same station's coverage.
The damage was extensive. A fire in February destroyed a large section of the building's exterior and most of the area inside the decades-old bar, per WAND. The flames spread through the Curve Inn's entertainment space, leaving the owners to rebuild not just walls and a roof but the gathering spot generations of regulars had leaned on.
A Long Road Back to Opening Night
Accounts differ on exactly how long the Curve Inn was closed. WAND reported the bar reopened almost nine months after the fire forced it to shut down, while Newschannel 20 described an eight-month wait to return to service. Either way, it was a long stretch for a business that had anchored the Southern View community for decades.
Once reopened, the Curve Inn resumed serving lunch, dinner and drinks, the station's report noted. For owners Ami and Ray Merchant, the return marked the culmination of a rebuilding effort that stretched well beyond patching up the structure itself.
Neighbors, Bands and Strangers Pitched In
The recovery leaned heavily on the surrounding community. About 50 volunteers turned out to help carry out large equipment and begin cleaning in the days after the fire, according to Capitol City Now.
Fundraising efforts followed quickly. A GoFundMe for Curve Inn employees raised nearly $50,000 in a matter of days, and an employee account was also opened at INB under the name “Employees of the Curve Inn,” the Illinois Times reported. Local musicians joined in as well — the band Branded raised $400 for Curve Inn staff and delivered it to the owners that weekend, per WCIA's reporting.
According to the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway, the rebuilding effort drew support from fundraising events, neighboring businesses, musicians, patrons and friends who rallied behind the bar in the months following the fire. The group's writeup also described the Curve Inn's comeback as something that went beyond repairing a structure for owners Ami and Ray Merchant, framing it as a reflection of the community's investment in the place. A ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the reopening had been scheduled for Friday, Nov. 6, at 5 p.m.
