At least according to some random reviewer on Yelp, Luke's Bar at 2434 Cedar St. was the longest running bar under the same ownership in the neighborhood. A post on their Facebook page indicates that the bar closed its doors "until further notice" shortly after the new year. The 'For Sale' sign from Precision Realty Group that we spied on the building when we went by the other day would seem to indicate, sadly, that until further notice actually means forever.
We enjoy karaoke and have an appreciation for any longstanding business, so we figured we'd reach out to the listing agent to see what we could find out. For the right price, we considered the possibility of opening a Naked Philly bar, but quickly realized that such a name would inadvertently result in nightly indecent exposure citations, so we thought better of the idea. And it turns out it was only a pipe dream, as the listing agent told us that the property is already under agreement. All he could say is that the future owners will look to maintain the use as a bar restaurant. Given how long Luke's has been here, perhaps a refresh won't be the worst thing in the world.
You can see, the Hagert Square residential development is located very close to the former Luke's Bar, and we have a feeling that the folks that moved into these homes weren't patronizing the old spot. We can't say for sure, but it seems like a safe bet that the people living in Hagert Square will be more likely to visit whatever new bar/restaurant takes over for Luke's. Such is life in a changing neighborhood. As for the old regulars from Luke's, at least they still have Tailgator's, just a block away.