BATON ROUGE – A bar reminiscent of a staple of college life etched in the memories of generations of students—for good and bad—is coming to the Northgate neighborhood near LSU.

A property manager posted a note on social media that was quickly shared: a “new Murphy’s Bar! Yes, it is coming back.”

The old Murphy’s Bar, an 80s and 90s era hangout, was previously in the University Shopping Center off of West State Street.  The shopping center has since been replaced by new developments.

The owners of the original Murphy's Bar reportedly have no affiliation with the new bar. 

The Advocate, in its recollection of the bar, remembered it was one of the places to feature the band Better Than Ezra.

While the original Murphy’s is locked into the memories of nightlife, it’s also got a dark note in LSU history: where transfer student and 20-year-old frat pledge Benjamin Wynne drank the night he died in August 1997. Wynne and 11 other fraternity members and pledges were found unconscious or nearly so after drinking—Wynne had blood-alcohol level was nearly six times the level considered legal proof of intoxication in an adult in Louisiana, the Associated Press reported at the time.

The owners of the new Murphy's Bar released the following statement Friday afternoon.

The new Murphy’s Bar on W. Chimes Street was conceptualized because the ownership group has children at LSU and wanted the next generation to have an establishment where they could make friends and memories like their parents did during college. Baton Rouge native, Ty Hingle, is one of the investing partners in the new Murphy’s. Hingle says, “When my son told me he wanted to attend LSU, I looked at my wife and told her I wished he had a Murphy’s to experience”. As patrons of the original Murphy’s, this group has fond memories and lasting relationships which developed because of what the original owners created over 40 years ago. Although the memories remain, the original bar has been closed for 25 years. Unaffiliated with the original creators of Murphy’s, the new ownership group plans to create a new Murphy’s Bar where the environment caters to today’s student and today’s college life. The location of the new Murphy’s has historical relevance to LSU as it was the site of LSU’s first fraternity house in 1925. Renovations will take place this summer and fall.

The new ownership hopes the obvious admiration of what the original owners created brings back as many good memories as the new owners have from Murphy’s during their college years. Hingle says, “I hope we create an atmosphere that is both a respectful tribute to the traditions created by the original owners and their bar and becomes a beloved hangout for current and future college students.” In an attempt to honor the past, months ago the new ownership asked one of the original owners to partner in the new endeavor. The past owner declined to partner but wished new ownership well.

Reopening “new” bars under “old” names has been trending in Baton Rouge over the past several years.
This trend has proven to be popular with past and new patrons alike.

The new Murphy’s Bar will open at 268 West Chimes Street.