Doc Howard's Lounge is losing its lease

WICHITA — Doc Howard's Lounge is losing its Old Town lease at 252 N. Mosley.

"It's coming up," landlord Dave Burk says of the lease expiring at the end of the month.

He says he chose to not allow the business to renew the lease.

The bar has been a lightning rod for critics due to violence and other issues there.

Previous owner Bryan Shapiro says he's no longer involved with the business and that his brother, Keith, owns it. Keith Shapiro couldn't be reached for comment, and the answering machine at the business says the memory is full and can't accept new messages.

The Doc Howard's website is down.

It sounds like there's a chance the business is reopening elsewhere in Old Town, but Bryan Shapiro says he doesn't have information about it.

Burk says he's still considering what to do with the 26,000 square feet Doc Howard's is leaving.

"Well, I can't tell you for sure what I'm going to do with it. I've got some ideas," he says. "I just know what I'm not going to do with it."

That means, Burk says, the space "isn't going to be a large bar with a lot of capacity."

He says it's possible the area could be divided.

"It's something I'm looking at."

This story was originally published March 6, 2013 at 2:40 PM with the headline "Doc Howard's Lounge is losing its lease."