Louie’s Bar opened in 1963, the year President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream” speech and America plunged deeper into the Vietnam War. For 53 years, the watering hole served as a mainstay at 883 Payne Ave. on St. Paul’s East Side

It all ended Monday.

Patrons discovered a handwritten sign on the door that says “Closed Forever, Thanks.”

Rather than mourn a neighborhood institution, some former regulars expressed relief. On the East St. Paul Facebook page, residents recalled working at Louie’s decades ago with fond nostalgia or described it as a favorite hangout of a late grandparent.

More recently, however, the bar had drawn a rowdy late-night crowd that erupted into frequent scuffles.

“It’s been a part of Payne Ave. history for years,” said Janess Larson Davis, who works on Payne Avenue. “Back in the day, it was one of the ‘it’ places. It has gone through lots of changes over the years.”

The bar tried to improve its clientele. Louie’s made headlines in October after putting up a sign indicating it was open exclusively to patrons age 30 and older. It later upped the age restriction to customers age 40 and older.

The experiment was short-lived. Regulars took a dim view of the age limit, and city officials questioned whether the bar was in keeping with city ordinances against age discrimination.

In April, the St. Paul City Council levied a $1,000 fine against Louie’s for failing to make surveillance video available to the St. Paul Police Department after a patron reported she was attacked by four other women in the men’s restroom. Bar managers maintained that the responding officers did not ask for the footage or leave contact information. An earlier fine stemmed from an incident in December.

At the time, the bar was warned that a third license violation would lead to a $2,000 fine and a 10-day license suspension. And with a fourth violation, the bar’s liquor license would be revoked, and a new license would not be issued in the same building for 15 years.

In May, the St. Paul Police Department informed the city’s Department of Safety and Inspections that on multiple nights customers’ age and identification wasn’t being checked and that security was not present, a condition on the bar license.

“This would have been an additional violation … the third violation this year,” said Robert Humphrey, a spokesman for the Department of Safety and Inspections.

Rather than appear before the city council to fight the penalty, the bar relinquished its licenses Monday.

Davis said it was sad to see a once-beloved neighborhood hangout close, but she’s optimistic. New businesses are sprouting along Payne Avenue, including Caydence Records and Coffee, Judy’s Kitchen and a possible new brewery on the corner of Payne and Wells Avenue, among others.

“There are several new property owners who are working with the East Side Neighborhood Development Company to create new businesses for Payne Avenue,” she said.