Downtown bar Taps and Dolls closes

A Downtown bar that police have been trying to shut down for months is now closed.

The owner of the building that houses Taps and Dolls and 247 Sky Bar told IndyStar the businesses shut their doors for the final time Thursday night.

The Indiana Alcohol and Tobacco Commission denied Taps and Dolls' liquor license renewal in March, but the bar has continued operating pending an administrative appeal that was set for Sept. 22. Police say the bar has been a source of continued problems, including fights, overdoses and the stabbing of a 17-year-old girl.

The bar's website calls it "a tavern with a twist ... like a neighborhood tavern stuck in the heart of downtown Indianapolis." Taps and Dolls opened in 2009, the website says, and operated seven days a week from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. Neither the website nor the Taps and Dolls Facebook page mention the closing.

Todd Johnson, whose company owns the building at 247 S. Meridian St., said the owner of the bars, Ryan Greb, is no longer a tenant. Johnson said he took possession of the space on Saturday.

Johnson, who also owns Mucky Duck, a pub on the city's southside, said he expects to announce what he described as exciting new plans for the Meridian Street building in the next week or two.

An attorney for Taps and Dolls did not respond to messages from IndyStar.

Contact IndyStar reporter Tony Cook at 317-444-6081 or tony.cook@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @IndyStarTony.