New Harrisburg bar brings past into the present

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Tom McGrath has always wanted to be part of a neighborhood bar where everybody knows your name.   

No surprise, perhaps, considering the 1980s’ sitcom Cheers is his favorite TV show.   

McGrath is living his dream, joining with friend and fellow Harrisburg native Josh Kesler in co-ownership of the recently opened High Dive bar at 1400 N. 3rd Street in midtown.   

“We both saw an opportunity to bring something truly unique to Harrisburg something the city was missing,” said McGrath. “From the very beginning, we were completely aligned on what High Dive should be and how we wanted to bring it to life. The process of crafting this concept was incredibly rewarding, and we couldn’t be more excited to share it with the community we love.”   

McGrath said he and Kesler were motivated to bring a new bar to the neighborhood by their longtime connection to the city.   

“Both Josh and I are proud Harrisburg natives, I’ve spent time on both the East and West Shores,” said McGrath. “Our deep roots in the community and love for the city made it a natural choice to build something special here.”   

Formerly known as the Third Street Café, the bar has a long and rich history in Harrisburg dating to the 1800s. It’s been a bank, a bar, a cocktail lounge known as Ticker’s, and a home for the local Rea & Derick Drug Store.   

Now the building has returned to its roots as a midtown neighborhood bar, but one that offers creative cocktails in a unique atmosphere.   

“It’s about community and creating spaces where people can gather outside work and home,” McGrath said. “It’s about stepping into a bar and feeling transported to another world where you can leave everything else behind, even if just for a little while.   

“We have a tropical/Tiki theme with a sense of fun and mystery. One of my favorite things is looking around the bar at night and seeing people put their phones down, engage with each other, and simply enjoy the experience.”   

For McGrath, it’s all part of being an antiquarian who is passionate about Harrisburg’s legacy buildings. He combined his passion for restoration with inspiration gathered from experience.    

“I’ve been immersed in the restaurant industry since 1995, with a particular focus behind the bar since 2000,” he said. “Hospitality has always been my passion, and over the years, I’ve developed a deep appreciation for creating experiences that bring people together.”   

McGrath said he and Kesler have been working together in various capacities since 2015, but this is their first official partnership.   

“Our collaboration over the years built a strong foundation of trust and a shared vision, making this venture an exciting next step,” said McGrath.   

He credits Kesler with working to bring a new gathering place to the city.   

“It gives people a little more incentive to come into Harrisburg,” McGrath said. “The more we can get business here, the better.”   

The bar’s location is one McGrath said he fell in love with years ago.   

“It’s in midtown, about a block away from the Broad Street Market,” he said. “There are a lot of little shops popping up here within a block-and-a-half.   

“I was really interested in bringing a cocktail focused, more upscale environment to Harrisburg. It was a three- or four-year process for Josh to acquire the building, and the renovations were about a year or year-and-a-half.”   

The renovations were based in part on McGrath’s desire to pay homage to the classic cocktail lounges of the 1950s and ’60s.   

“I travel all over, internationally, to experience cocktail bars and I showed Josh my vision and what I thought would work, and it came to life,” said McGrath, who began bartending in 2000 and has worked in various venues in Harrisburg. “I’ve worked in every style of restaurant – fine dining, Irish bars, pretty much everything.”   

McGrath said the name High Dive is a play on words – high end and former dive bar. The bar’s motif pays tribute to the culture of the 1950s and 60s. The High Dive opened last New Year’s Eve and McGrath is pleased with the progress.   

“It’s going great,” said McGrath, who oversees the daily operations. “I have a great support team. Every day there’s a new thing to learn about, but I’ve been in the industry long enough and I’ve been around enough owners to hear what their concerns are, so there’s nothing too surprising.”   

McGrath said he’s seeing a resurgence in neighborhood bars.   

“Over the last couple of years I feel like people are going back to their neighborhood bars,” he said. “There’s a little bit more connecting. On any given night I look around the bar and everyone is talking and not on their cell phones. That’s the vibe here and that’s been my favorite part of it.   

“The neighborhood bar has that connectivity. There’s not all the distractions of the normal bars and restaurants. It’s been nice.”