Walk down the narrow stairway next to Donatos, get a drink at the bar, enjoy the live band, sit back and take in the atmosphere at the Northberg Tavern.

The intimate bar, which is now owned by Donatos, has been a part of the Ohio State off-campus culture since the 1950s. It was originally named the North Heidelberg, after the town Heidelberg in Germany, and was affiliated with the South Heidelberg further down High Street.

Bar Manager Greg Gould said it closed in 1988 for four years because it was in poor condition, and then it burned down. After the fire, it opened as Donatos Downstairs and was used as a party room that also featured comedy acts, he said.

“At that point in time, Donatos didn’t feel a bar fit in their structure, so to speak,” said Tony Federer, manager of both Donatos and Northberg. Federer re-opened the bar in January 1997 under the Northberg name.

Gould and Federer said the establishment has undergone a lot of renovation.

“I first started playing in a band here two and a half years ago,” Gould said. “The place looked totally different then. It had yellow wallpaper and none of the nice wood trim we have now.”

Federer compared the bar when it first re-opened to a cafeteria. He and another bartender bought all the supplies and did the construction themselves.

“The beginning of the live music was when Tony re-opened it in ’97.” Gould said. Federer wanted the Northberg to be more of a music venue, as opposed to just a sit and drink bar.

“It’s all about rock n’ roll,” Federer said. “I’m a music lover and have been a fan my whole life. I used to play the drums and some other instruments.”

When they first discussed opening a club, Donatos didn’t want it to be just a place for people to drink. Federer said the music aspect fit into the plan perfectly.

“There is some type of performance here every night,” Gould said. “One night (per week) we have an open-mic comedy, which occasionally features some regional and national acts, but for the most part is local.”

It is a good opportunity for people who are just getting started to get a feel for a live audience, and some have moved on to Los Angeles, he said.

Sundays feature live DJs and are the only other nights in which instrumental music is not featured, Gould said.

In autumn 1999, Donatos and the Northberg started an outdoor block party on Frambes Avenue, which featured three bands.

“The idea came about from just sitting around talking,” Federer said. “I just said, ‘You know we ought to throw a stage out there, get some bands and just jam.’ “

He said the block party took form from there, and after speaking with local musicians, he found there was quite a bit of interest surrounding it. In its first year, Of A Revolution headlined, and Red Wanting Blue and Ordinary Peoples both played.

“It was also a kind of giving back to the community,” Federer said. “We have had a lot of success, not only with the bar but with Donatos too, so we kind of tied the two together and threw something up in the street for the kids.”

Gould said the first party was successful and stayed so well under control that the police allowed them to sell alcohol outside at the second one spring 2000. The alcohol permit was granted through the YMCA, which received a portion of the proceeds. Federer said it was neat to be tied in with a charitable organization.

The party in the spring was to feature six bands, but due to weather conditions, the first two scheduled to perform couldn’t take the stage. The bands that did play were Mescalito, Red Wanting Blue and Ordinary Peoples.

“Standing up on the stage and looking out at about 2,500 to 3,000 people was really neat,” said Gould, who took the stage as one of the block party promoters.

Again the crowd was well-behaved, and the event was a success.

“We were going to stop at 11 p.m., but the guy on the campus area commission told us to go until midnight because he was having such a good time,” Federer said.

He said they will probably no longer hold the block party in the fall because of the weather and other back-to-school activities which take place, but the spring event will continue, possibly with some bigger regional bands.

Aside from showcasing local bands, the Northberg has also featured bands from overseas, as well as from across the country. The bar also hosted VH1’s “Band on the Run,” which will air in April.

Jim Berling, a doorman at the bar, said before he worked at the Northberg most of his friends weren’t interested in live music unless it was a national act.

“Now that I work here some of my friends come to see me at work, and they enjoy the bands and are starting to get more into the local band scene,” he said.

The Northberg is a smaller-sized bar, Gould and Federer said, and with that atmosphere violence is very minimal.

“We have been very fortunate in that we haven’t had any serious incidents,” Gould said. “We have a huge body of musicians and local music lovers (who) come down here on a fairly regular basis and a lot of kids that play here and play at other places will come here to see their friends. It is a kind of good spirit that goes on.” There are only a handful of bars where live music can be heard on a regular basis, and the Northberg Tavern is among the circuit of clubs in which local bands have the opportunity to hone their skills and showcase their talent.