The Two-One Story
The Two-One at The Renaissance is a destination hidden in plain sight. Nestled within a mid-century environment.
It is the perfect spot for a cocktail on the patio, an intimate dinner, or a lunch break by the pond. The Two-One will serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the menu offers prohibition style cuisine, with locally sourced ingredients. The Two-One will also offer craft cocktails with local, domestic, and imported spirits, beers, and wines.
The Two-One was named after the 21st amendment, which repealed the 18th amendment that mandated a nationwide prohibition on alcohol.
The small city of Westerville holds a big chunk of our nation's history regarding the Prohibition Movement. During the late 1850s, Westerville residents gained a notorious reputation for their opposition to the sale and consumption of alcohol. Westerville soon became one of the first communities to ban stores from selling alcohol. A saloon keeper named Henry Corbin attempted to ignore this new law, but Westerville citizens protested his business. They even set off gunpowder in the saloon, ultimately destroying it. Another saloonkeeper experienced similar backlash four years later when he attempted to sell alcohol. These events became known as the “Whiskey War.” Operating under the motto “The Saloon Must Go,” the Anti-Saloon League was a major force in promoting the enactment of anti-alcohol legislation. After learning about Westerville’s commitment to remain a dry town, the Anti-Saloon League decided to move its headquarters to Westerville from Washington D.C. The league then opened the American Issue Publishing Company in Westerville. The organization sent out so much mail that it became the smallest town in the U.S. to have a first-class post office! The passage of the Eighteenth Amendment, which banned the manufacture and sale of liquor, caused significant celebration among supporters before it was repealed in the 1930s. Even after Prohibition was repealed, Westerville remained dry for most of the 20th century.