He and his mother, the late Judge Butler, were longtime fans of Larchmere Boulevard landmark

Chris Butler, with new general manager Jessica Murr

Chris Butler is the new owner of the Academy Tavern. He bought the business on May 31 and took over operations effective June 3.

In a brief interview in the sunny enclosed courtyard at the rear of the restaurant, Butler described his role more as curator than owner of the neighborhood tavern that he has long admired. He is thoroughly familiar with the place and the neighborhood, having grown up on the same street barely two blocks away.

The links between Butler’s family and the quintessential neighborhood restaurant run deeper than just geography. He went to high school with the seller’s children, although that was a few years before Sam Gantous bought the business in 1997. Butler graduated from Shaker HS in 1991.

Gantous was only the fourth owner of the business, which dates back to 1939, just a few years after the end of Prohibition. A neighborhood anchor, the Academy Tavern has long enjoyed a loyal patronage that includes a healthy mix of professionals, academics, and blue-collar types. The tavern has long served as the kind of joint where first time visitors were as comfortable as the locals who tracked their patronage in scores of years.

That family feel extended to the staff as well. Lisa, a senior member of the wait crew, told us her daughter was married to a former colleague’s grandson. That colleague, Julie, worked at the tavern for 42 years before her retirement.

Butler, an independent musician and SAG-affiliated actor by profession, had been working to finalize the deal for about a year. He and his mother, Annette Butler, a longtime assistant US attorney and a former judge, had been actively negotiating the purchase prior to her final illness. She died December 31.

Butler sees the Academy as “a great neighborhood tavern” and a “Cleveland staple”. While he is developing plans to expand its entertainment offerings to include some original music by local artists, he emphasized his intent to cater to long-established regulars, saying he wants “the regulars to come more regularly”. To that end, he says the venerable and versatile pianist George Foley will continue to perform every Wednesday from 7 to 9p.

Jessica Murr has been brought on as Academy general manager. She brings with her a 20-year resume in the service industry, including six years’ experience as a manager of McCarthy’s in the Flats, and “lots of other places”.

Butler has made one change to the place already, a subtle one that escaped our attention until he mentioned it: a picture of his mother, dating to her tenure as president of The City Club of Cleveland, now graces the front entrance.

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Originally published in the June 9, 2016 issue of The Real Deal Press. Updated August 1, 2021.