Indianapolis – Historic Union Station has become the battleground for a clash between family values and bawdy fun.

Mayor Bart Peterson says The Ugly Monkey — a tavern that leases space in the city-owned building — has gone too far in pushing the boundaries of good taste.

More than violating the standards of common decency, city officials say bare breasts and dangerous bar tricks violate a ban on “lewd or nude” behavior in the tavern’s lease agreement with the city.

Now the city wants the Ugly Monkey out — and a judge could rule on the matter this week.

“They have not lived up to the terms of the lease, and that’s why we’re taking this action,” Peterson said. “This isn’t about whether their conduct would be appropriate in other locations . . . but the city of Indianapolis is their landlord.”

For the city, it’s about maintaining a squeaky clean image. City officials have revoked the bar’s lease.

The bar owners sued to stop them and the dispute is now before Marion Circuit Judge Theodore Sosin. Sosin granted a restraining order allowing the bar to stay open and is expected to issue a final ruling by Thursday.

The Ugly Monkey, 302 S. Meridian St., occupies the southern corner of the converted train station. Inside, the vintage red bricks are visible on the walls, and the pounding beat can be felt through the wooden dance floor.

The people who hang out at the Monkey say city leaders are too uptight.

“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no reason for the city to shut this place down because three or four people got a little too drunk,” said Bryce Toney, 43, Indianapolis, who visited the bar for the first time last week.

Toney was among about 1,100 workers who lost their jobs last year when United Airlines closed its maintenance facility at Indianapolis International Airport.

Toney says the city has not done enough to bring back those jobs and thinks leaders ought to focus on luring businesses to the community.

“There are a lot more issues in this town that need to be taken care of,” he said.

Lewdness, several patrons say, is far more common at other Downtown bars. The Monkey management, they say, encourages fun but clamps down when things start getting rowdy.

“Any bar is going to have these issues,” said Joe Koslowski, 28, Indianapolis. “This bar has gone above and beyond to control those issues.”

Brad Williams, 30, at the bar last week with his wife and several friends, recalled the time a few years ago when only the homeless hung out at Union Station. The Ugly Monkey, he said, is a vast improvement.

“Why the city wants to close them down baffles me,” said Williams, who lives in Greenwood. “This place is the cleanest-run bar in town.”

Nikole Brown, a veterinary technician from Brownsburg, said she feels safe at The Ugly Monkey.

“This is not a place my friends go to do something wild and get into trouble,” Brown said. “This is a place to go to drink, dance and have fun. There’s no drama here.”

Two beefy security guards watch the door and check identification. Managers used to pay an off-duty Indianapolis police officer to patrol the inside of the club, but the bar says the city recently put an end to that arrangement.

Cold drinks aren’t all that’s on the menu. Panties with the words “Spank Me” on the backside can be purchased for $12.

The Ugly Monkey’s main owners, Todd and Steve Campbell, signed a five-year lease with the city in July 2002. They pay $4,582 a month in rent and another $75 a month for utilities.

The bar owners have the option of extending the lease twice, their lawyer said. If the city fails in its eviction efforts, the Monkey could be a fixture in Union Station until 2017.

For the city, the fight is a simple contract dispute. It doesn’t matter how conscientious the managers are these days; city officials say they broke the lease three times since October:

• The city says a patron was injured on May 2 when a bartender poured liquid on the bar top and set it ablaze.

• On Oct. 11, the city claims, a Union Station security guard observed a naked woman dancing near the restroom.

• On Oct. 25, the city claims, several women were arrested and charged with public indecency and nudity during a “Miss School Girl” contest.

The city has pictures of Miss School Girl contestants in various stages of undress. Some pictures were taken by undercover police, others were seized from the cameras of bar employees.

Other promotions include a Daisy Duke Shorts Contest, a Banana Eating Contest and a Sexy Cheerleader Contest. A Sexy Pajama Party promises $1.50 drinks for ladies who come to the bar in their nightgowns.

A disclaimer on the bar’s Web site says: “Just pajamas ladies (sorry), no lingerie. We gotta keep this party PG-13.”

“They’re trying to use sex to promote these contests. It’s obvious,” said Justin Ohlemiller, Department of Metropolitan Development spokesman. “When the bar hosts a banana-eating contest, it’s not a promotion to encourage healthy eating.”

The Monkey management admits the bare breasts went too far but say the lease gives them 20 days from Oct. 20 — the day the city sent a letter notifying them of the breach — to correct any problems.

No nude or lewd behavior occurred after Oct. 25, The Ugly Monkey’s attorney, Bob Garelick, said. The bar, he said, is selling a good time, not sex.

“Are they selling titillating things, maybe so,” Garelick said, “but that’s not lewd.”