An iconic Columbus restaurant is no more. Rigsby’s Kitchen, located at 698 North High Street in the Short North, closed its doors for good last night. Columbus Underground has been told by guests last night that they were informed by owner Kent Rigsby that the restaurant would be closing effective immediately.

When Rigsby’s opened in 1986, it was a pioneering restaurant business in the still-emerging Short North district. Over the years, the restaurant was recognized with many awards, both local and national, most notably when Chef Rigsby was named a James Beard Award semifinalist in 2012. Rigsby’s made regular appearances in the list of Top 10 Fine Dining restaurants in Columbus, as voted upon by Columbus Underground readers, ranking #3 in the most recent list for 2014.

As a neighborhood, The Short North has evolved quite a bit over the past three decades, and Rigsby’s has faced rising rents and increased competition from other high end restaurants as pressure points for the business.

Columbus Underground has reached out to Rigby’s for a direct response, but have not received a reply at the time of publishing. The Rigsby’s Facebook Page posted the following message at 1pm today:

The curtain came down for the final time last night, (Nov. 8th), on the long run that was Rigsby’s kitchen. I’m saddened by this reality and at the same time proud and grateful for the amazing memories and and experiences that come with 29 years of running one of Columbus’ top restaurants. Thank you to the wonderful customers who have graced our doors over the years. I have met so many incredible people and developed many life-long friendships. And thank you to so many talented and hardworking people who I have been so fortunate to work with side by side over these many years. And GRAZIE MILLE, (there is just more poetry in the Italian language), but I really feel it, 1000 thanks to all you caring and lovely people that have posted here. Rest assured, I have so much to be thankful for, especially the health of my family and their individual greatness. I look forward with energy and excitement to my next professional challenge. There will soon be a new curtain rising on my next act. I’ll keep you posted!

For more information, visit www.rigsbyskitchen.com.

Update: Additional information was added to this article at 3:50pm on Nov 8, 2015.