Last week I took a quick trip to Dayton’s Belmont neighborhood to visit a business located near the intersection of Watervliet and Smithville.
This may not be at the top of your list when thinking of historic spots in the city, but my destination was celebrating its 100th anniversary that very day.
I’m talking about Belmont Billiards, Dayton’s oldest pool hall, which opened in 1925 at 820 Watervliet where it is still located today.
The business was started by Pete Smith, then ownership passed to his son Dwight Knupp and then his grandson Bob Knupp in the 1970s.
A 1977 article called it “one of the last of the genuine, cuss-and-spit, swig-beer-and-put-your-cigaret-out-on-the-floor pool halls.”
Today, though, the atmosphere is certainly a bit different.
In 2022, new owners Jacqui Creepingbear and Isaac DeLamatre bought the bar and have been working on refreshing its offerings while building on its pool legacy.
It now serves food again and has weekly events ranging from punk rock karaoke to tango dancing.
The bar has certainly seen some major changes around it in its 100 years. You can check out my Belmont history article to see some views of how the same intersection of Watervliet and Smithville used to look.
But despite those changes, Belmont Billiards still maintains a down-to-earth, neighborhood feel, while now striving to be a “warm and welcoming” destination for everyone.
Celebrating 100 Years of Belmont Billiards
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