Viaduct's contents head to auction

TIFFIN — More than 270 lots from the former Viaduct Bar & Grill, including the ornate carved back bar that has anchored the room for generations, will be sold in an online auction ending Aug. 17. RE/MAX Unlimited Results Realty is conducting the sale through 419Auctions.com. Bidding closes at 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 17. A public preview is set for 5-7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, at the building, 84 N. Washington St., with pickup 1-6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18. The centerpiece is a saloon back bar with carved figural supports, decorative moldings, mirrored display sections and a marble service counter. Auction materials describe it as a rare 1800s Brunswick back bar, though the company's news release says the manufacturer, age and authenticity have not been independently verified and encourages bidders to inspect the piece and do their own research. Also up for bid are neon and beer signs, taps and bar memorabilia, tables, chairs and barstools, fryers, refrigerators and freezers, sound equipment and stage lighting, glassware and serving items, and a snow blower and pressure washer. A 10% buyer's premium applies to all lots, with a 3% premium on the back bar. No shipping is available. "Every community has places where memories are made, and the Viaduct is certainly one of those places for Tiffin," auctioneer and broker owner Bill Jones said in a news release. "This auction gives people an opportunity to own a tangible piece of local history while preserving items that have been part of this landmark for generations." The bar closed July 27, 2025. Owners announced the closure four days earlier in a social media post and said they planned to sell the property. The business hosted a final show, "Rock the Viaduct," the night before, featuring The Movement, Mind's Eye View, Soundlogik and Barabbas Pardon. The building went on the market in January, listed by RE/MAX Unlimited Results Realty at $375,000, according to a brokerage listing flyer. The listing marketed the property as a turnkey restaurant and bar with a full liquor license, kitchen equipment, fixtures and furniture included, and said the back bar would stay with the right offer. The property was no longer listed as of late July, and Seneca County Auditor's Office records as of Aug. 8 show no change in ownership. Those records list Gary Taylor of Galena as owner of the two parcels that make up the site. Taylor bought them from Murrays Refinery Ltd. on July 31, 2024, for $109,907, a year before the bar announced it would close. The county appraises the parcels at a combined $142,900, and both remain classified for restaurant and bar use. County records show the property under four owners since 1987, when Lois Eisenhard bought two 20-foot strips of the lot for a combined $70,000. M & R Refinery Ltd. acquired the site in 2001 for $125,000, and Murrays Refinery Ltd. in 2006 for $100,000: corporate names matching two of the bar's former identities. Records available online do not extend earlier. RE/MAX describes the building as the oldest continuously operating bar location in Tiffin, in business since the late 1800s under names including Murray's Refinery, M&R Bar and Bricks Saloon. The complete catalog and terms are at 419Auctions.com.