CharBlue Steak & Seafood, launched by ex-Colts linebacker Gary Brackett and a business partner, is the latest in a string of Downtown Indianapolis restaurant closings this year.

It's also Mile Square’s fourth steakhouse to shutter in the past 18 months.

“Thank you to all the staff, friends, family and guests that have supported CharBlue,” a June 29 post on the restaurant’s Facebook page read. “As of today, the restaurant is no longer open for business.

"We are exploring using the space as a private event venue and will be announcing those plans soon.”

Brackett has yet to respond to IndyStar’s requests for more information, but Jeremiah Hamman, who opened CharBlue with Brackett in 2016, said in a written statement, "CharBlue is working with the landlord to transition the space to a venue that caters to events rather than a la carte dining."

"Private events were a large part of our business model, and we are excited to focus on that aspect of the business," Hamman said..

All the Downtown closings

CharBlue, 14 E. Washington St., is the sixth Mile Square restaurant to lock up in 2019.

Broken English Taco Pub closed in early January after a year in business at 141 S. Meridian St. District Tap pub is under construction there and scheduled to open this summer.

closed in early January after a year in business at 141 S. Meridian St. District Tap pub is under construction there and scheduled to open this summer. At the end of Febraury, Shula’s Steakhouse ended its 21-year run at Westin Hotel Indianapolis. The restaurant has been replaced by Nourish, offering American classics and healthy options.

ended its 21-year run at Westin Hotel Indianapolis. The restaurant has been replaced by Nourish, offering American classics and healthy options. Hard Rock Café , 49 S. Meridian St., closed in March after 20 years in business. The space remains vacant.

, 49 S. Meridian St., closed in March after 20 years in business. The space remains vacant. Nook: A Paleo Influenced Diner went dark in mid-June after 16 months in business, although the owner is pondering whether to reopen in fall or install a new concept at the 15 E. Maryland St. unit.

went dark in mid-June after 16 months in business, although the owner is pondering whether to reopen in fall or install a new concept at the 15 E. Maryland St. unit. Palomino had been in business for 23 years when it closed in late June at 49 W. Maryland St. The space is vacant.

had been in business for 23 years when it closed in late June at 49 W. Maryland St. The space is vacant. Scotty's Brewhouse didn't quite make it to 2019. It closed in December 2018 at 1 Virginia Ave.

CharBlue itself was a replacement for Georgia Reese’s, Brackett’s first effort at the address. Georgia Reese’s was a supper club that served Southern food and live music. It debuted in August 2014 on the northside. Brackett put a Georgia Reese’s downtown in May 2015.

The north-side Georgia Reese’s closed in March 2016. Brackett said customers preferred the Downtown location, but that Georgia Reese's shuttered the following September. Live music brought noise complaints from residents who lived above the restaurant, forcing Brackett to rebrand, he said.

Steakhouse wars

CharBlue opened in November 2016 during a flurry of high-end steakhouse development in Mile Square. It was among three new Downtown steakhouses added to a pool of eight near one another.

Hyde Park Prime opened a month before CharBlue arrived. Red the Steakhouse landed less than a year later. Meantime, Ruth’s Chris completed a substantial remodel in 2016.

CharBlue stood out as a chef-driven concept. Beef cuts could be dressed in bourbon au poivre. Much of the menu had nothing to do with steak. There were dishes like pork cheek and pumpkin tamales and snow crab black truffle macaroni and cheese with peas and fontina cream.

Downtown steakhouse closings

By fall 2017, signs pointed to Mile Square hosting 15 swanky steakhouses as Ohio-based Jeff Ruby and Tony’s each announced plans for central Downtown locations.

Around the same time, Mo's, A Place for Steaks shuttered as owner Johnny Vassallo made way for his Nook: A Paleo-Influenced Diner, whose future is unclear.

Red the Steakhouse closed its 14 W. Maryland St. restaurant in October 2018, followed by Shula’s in January. Also, in 2018, Jeff Ruby shifted gears. "We are not planning for a 2019 open. Though it is part of our three-to-five-year plan," Jeff Ruby's president Britney Ruby Miller told IndyStar in December.

Tony’s did open in September 2018 at former Colts Grille, 110 W Washington St. With it, Downtown still hosts 10 steakhouses. The others are St. Elmo Steak House, Ruth's Chris, Fogo de Chao, Prime 47, Harry and Izzy's, Morton's, The Capital Grille, McCormick & Schmick's and Hyde Park Prime.

Follow IndyStar food writer Liz Biro on Twitter: @lizbiro, Instagram: @lizbiro, and on Facebook. Call her at 317-444-6264.