When Rick Eichholtz and his wife, Linda Jones Eichholtz, opened Ike & Jonesy’s at 17 W. Jackson Place 35 years ago, downtown was a very different place. The Indianapolis Colts hadn't started playing yet, Circle Centre mall wasn't open and even Union Station was still under renovation.

But Ike & Jonesy's found an audience quickly, in part by focusing on police, media, firefighters and a surprise group—lawmakers and lobbyists, who showed up every January when the legislative session began.

As downtown changed, the bar persevered. But in 2016, an affiliate of Sun Development & Management Corp. bought the building and has plans to turn it into a hotel. As Rick puts it, Ike & Jonesy's doesn't fit into the plans. So Sun and the Eichholtzes reached an agreement that means the bar will close after its New Year's Eve party.

Rick tells podcast host Mason King about how he became a bar owner, what his dad thought about the idea, and how he feels about the Ike & Jonesy's closing after more than three decades.

To learn more about Sun's plans—which have changed over the past few years—and about Ike & Jonesy's closing, read this story at IBJ.com.  

Auld Lang Syne by and courtesy of E's Jammy Jams.