Savini Family Reopens Ciro's Medieval Banquet Hall

Henry VIII would probably feel right at home in the renovated upstairs function room at Ciro's Tavern on Cherry.

The place is designed to make visitors feel as though they stepped aboard a Wayback Machine with the dial set to medieval times. Oak paneling covers the walls. Chandeliers hang from the vaulted ceiling. One corner is occupied by a suit of armor, giving the impression that knights are standing guard.

Hundreds of guests took the time trip Tuesday afternoon, at a ribbon-cutting bash to celebrate the re-opening of the luxury facility. They sipped wine, nibbled hors d'oeuvres, and traded stories they'd heard about the upstairs room back in the '60s, when it was rumored to be a favorite hangout for Statehouse big shots and Federal Hill wiseguys.

"It was the place in the city for politicians," recalled guest Rene Remillard, a retired Army colonel and Woonsocket native. "If you were someone, you were here."

"It looks exactly the same as it did then," added Tom Ward, publisher of The Valley Breeze. "It's great to see it open again."

The Tudor-style dining hall was the brain child of the late Evo Donnini -- better known as "Curley" — who purchased the building in 1962. His goal was to create a chic night spot in Northern Rhode Island. His inspiration: Hampton Court, one of England's legendary royal palaces. He ran the business for 40 years, and then sold it in 2003 to the Savini family, who also own Savini's Restaurant on Rathbun Street.

The Savinis continued operating an English-style tavern downstairs, but for almost a decade the upstairs remained closed. While they’ve updated the facility, they took pains to avoid changing the details of Donnini’s creation.

"Right after we purchased the building, the fire code changed," said Jill Moylen, daughter of owners Roger and Micheline Savini. "A lot of the work involved bringing the rooms up to code.”

At this point, the Savinis plan to use the upper-deck for banquets, weddings, and other functions, but in the near future they may also serve dinners there on Friday and Saturday nights.

Mayor Leo Fontaine wielded the shears during Tuesday's official ribbon cutting. He hailed the renovation of the tavern's second floor as a boost to Woonsocket's downtown economy.

"This is really a step in the right direction," he said. "Our goal is to turn downtown into a place for arts and culture, and this fits right in. It not only re-opens a piece of history, it's an investment in the rebirth of Main Street." 

Gene Peloquin, a retired North Smithfield school teacher, offered recollections about the late Woonsocket artist who designed the decor for Donnini. "It was my friend Paul Ducharme," he said. "He graduated from Mount St. Charles, class of 1948, and if you look in that yearbook you'll find it's filled with his illustrations. He never went to school to study art, but he was a real genius."

Stories about the Ciro's building have long been part of Rhode Island folklore. The four-story structure, built in 1893, originally included a liquor store on the ground level, a family residence above that, and a boarding house on the top two floors. By the 1920s, however, the boarding house had become a brothel, something the Savinis note on their take-out menu.

"Woonsocket was booming," reads a brief history on the back page. "Sailors would dock in Newport and travel to Woonsocket for the gambling,
bars and prostitution."

When Donnini bought the property, he transformed the place into a popular nightspot. According to the Savinis' write-up, patrons would sometimes wait two weeks or more for a reservation. "Unless of course, you were a local politician or a member of the mafia — who were often snuck into the VIP lounge through the backdoor," the menu reads.