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Jul 26, 2023

Roc's Blackfront longtime owner retiring, selling historic Charleston bar

CHARLESTON — Owner Mike Knoop has been serving up drinks and food, including his

CHARLESTON — Owner Mike Knoop has been serving up drinks and food, including his signature baby back pork ribs, for approximately three decades at his Roc's Blackfront Tavern & Grill.

In that role, Knoop has carried on a long business tradition of hospitality at this location just north of the courthouse square. Bars and/or restaurants have operated out of this building at 410 Sixth St. for more than 100 years, including enduring the dry years of the U.S. prohibition in 1920-1933.

Now, Knoop, 68, has made plans to retire as owner of Roc's Blackfront and sell the building. The sale is still being finalized, but Knoop said he is confident about Roc's getting local ownership soon who will preserve its history of hospitality.

"If you treat people well, they will treat you well. Everyone needs a place to go," Knoop said of his business philosophy.

Roc's Blackfront retiring owner Mike Knoop stands behind the bar counter on May 24 at this historic tavern and grill in downtown Charleston.

Knoop has been in this business since the early 1980s when he and his wife, Diane, opened The Uptowner at the northeast corner of the square. They later sold The Uptowner, which remains in operation on the square, and then started their tavern and grill at 410 Sixth in the mid-1990s. A previous tavern had been operating there as Roc's Lounge, and the Knoops added Blackfront to the name in homage to the ebony front entrance.

The old tavern building at 410 Sixth had fallen into disrepair to the point that it was on the verge of being condemned and demolished, Knoop said. However, he said local businessman John Williams purchased the building and restored it. Knoop said he was happy to help with this restoration process.

"It's part of Charleston. You could almost say it's a local landmark," said Knoop, who subsequently purchased this building.

Roc's Blackfront is located at 410 Sixth St., just north of the courthouse square in Charleston.

Eastern Illinois University history graduate student Emily McInerney wrote in a circa 2015-2016 essay about Prohibition in Charleston that the building building now housing Roc's Blackfront was home to the Red Front Saloon in 1917 and then became Willis W. McClelland's Cafe on the eve of prohibition.

McInerney said a local myth has persisted over the decades that McClelland's Cafe continued to sell alcohol during prohibition, even though this would have been a risky legal undertaking just north of the courthouse. Nevertheless, she said McClelland able to change the perception of his restaurant during dry years that could "make or break a business" and ensure this location would remain viable.

"McClelland's, luckily for them, was able to overcome all the odds and maintain a tavern setting for just about 100 years (now)," McInerney wrote at the time.

The building was sold after prohibition ended, and Hank O' Day's Tavern opened there. McInerney said O'Day also ran a major gambling establishment, with live games and off-track betting. Local historian Robert Sterling also wrote in a 2003 article about the upper story of the O'Day Tavern being filled with gambling tables and slot machines.

When he took over operation of the tavern at 410 Sixth, Knoop said he found a decades-old buzzer hidden near the bar counter that could be used to alert staff upstairs that authorities had arrived and that any restricted activities should be hidden.

A caricature artist created portraits of Roc's Blackfront regular customers in the 1960s and four of these images can still be found on display at this Charleston tavern and grill.

The bar and dining areas at Roc's Blackfront are decorated with memorabilia from the prohibition era and from O'Day's sponsorship of cars in American Automobile Association-sanctioned speedway races in the late 1930s. Knoop also has added memorabilia of his own, including steel sculpture profiles of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas that were created by his father, artist Cary Knoop.

In addition to being a downtown business owner, Knoop also has been active in the community around square. He managed the seasonal farmers market on the square for more than 30 years. His mother, Marge Knoop, helped him with the market for many years.

Knoop said he developed many regular customers over the years, but the closure of bars and restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted their routine and took a toll on Roc's Blackfront. He said the pandemic has been followed by ongoing worker shortages, which led him to recently close Roc's kitchen for the time being.

Given those experiences in recent years and his age, Knoop said he is ready to retire and see a new generation carry on the traditions at Rock's Blackfront.

"When you get old, you have to adapt and change," Knoop said.

The 5th Annual Tour de Charleston Bike Race is held on Saturday at the Coles County Courthouse Square.

This collection of photos shows highlights from coverage of the 2022-23 academic year at Charleston High School

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Rob Stroud is a reporter for the JG-TC, covering the city of Mattoon, Lake Land College, Cumberland County and areas including Oakland, Casey and Martinsville.

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