diff --git a/logger.go b/logger.go
index 445bc5212..93b12c3f8 100644
--- a/logger.go
+++ b/logger.go
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ package pilosa
 import (
 	"io"
 	"log"
-	"os"
 )
 
 // Ensure nopLogger implements interface.
@@ -27,7 +26,6 @@ var _ Logger = &nopLogger{}
 type Logger interface {
 	Printf(format string, v ...interface{})
 	Debugf(format string, v ...interface{})
-	Close() error
 }
 
 func init() {
@@ -45,34 +43,15 @@ func (n *nopLogger) Printf(format string, v ...interface{}) {}
 // Debugf is a no-op implementation of the Logger Debugf method.
 func (n *nopLogger) Debugf(format string, v ...interface{}) {}
 
-// Close is a no-op implementation of the Logger Close method.
-func (n *nopLogger) Close() error { return nil }
-
 // StandardLogger is a basic implementation of pilosa.Logger based on log.Logger.
 type StandardLogger struct {
 	logger *log.Logger
-	f      *os.File
 }
 
-func NewStandardLogger(path string, defaultWriter io.Writer) (*StandardLogger, error) {
-	var lw io.Writer
-	var err error
-	var f *os.File
-
-	if path == "" {
-		lw = defaultWriter
-	} else {
-		f, err = os.OpenFile(path, os.O_RDWR|os.O_CREATE|os.O_APPEND, 0600)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		lw = f
-	}
-
+func NewStandardLogger(w io.Writer) *StandardLogger {
 	return &StandardLogger{
-		logger: log.New(lw, "", log.LstdFlags),
-		f:      f,
-	}, nil
+		logger: log.New(w, "", log.LstdFlags),
+	}
 }
 
 func (s *StandardLogger) Printf(format string, v ...interface{}) {
@@ -81,13 +60,6 @@ func (s *StandardLogger) Printf(format string, v ...interface{}) {
 
 func (s *StandardLogger) Debugf(format string, v ...interface{}) {}
 
-func (s *StandardLogger) Close() error {
-	if s.f == nil {
-		return nil
-	}
-	return s.f.Close()
-}
-
 func (s *StandardLogger) Logger() *log.Logger {
 	return s.logger
 }
@@ -95,28 +67,12 @@ func (s *StandardLogger) Logger() *log.Logger {
 // VerboseLogger is an implementation of pilosa.Logger which includes debug messages.
 type VerboseLogger struct {
 	logger *log.Logger
-	f      *os.File
 }
 
-func NewVerboseLogger(path string, defaultWriter io.Writer) (*VerboseLogger, error) {
-	var lw io.Writer
-	var err error
-	var f *os.File
-
-	if path == "" {
-		lw = defaultWriter
-	} else {
-		f, err = os.OpenFile(path, os.O_RDWR|os.O_CREATE|os.O_APPEND, 0600)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-		lw = f
-	}
-
+func NewVerboseLogger(w io.Writer) *VerboseLogger {
 	return &VerboseLogger{
-		logger: log.New(lw, "", log.LstdFlags),
-		f:      f,
-	}, nil
+		logger: log.New(w, "", log.LstdFlags),
+	}
 }
 
 func (vb *VerboseLogger) Printf(format string, v ...interface{}) {
@@ -127,13 +83,6 @@ func (vb *VerboseLogger) Debugf(format string, v ...interface{}) {
 	vb.logger.Printf(format, v...)
 }
 
-func (vb *VerboseLogger) Close() error {
-	if vb.f == nil {
-		return nil
-	}
-	return vb.f.Close()
-}
-
 func (vb *VerboseLogger) Logger() *log.Logger {
 	return vb.logger
 }
diff --git a/server/server.go b/server/server.go
index 4141ae3aa..66725f4ee 100644
--- a/server/server.go
+++ b/server/server.go
@@ -74,7 +74,8 @@ type Command struct {
 	Done chan struct{}
 
 	// Passed to the Gossip implementation.
-	logger *log.Logger
+	logOutput io.Writer
+	logger    *log.Logger
 }
 
 // NewCommand returns a new instance of Main.
@@ -125,18 +126,22 @@ func (m *Command) Run(args ...string) (err error) {
 
 // SetupLogger sets up the logger based on the configuration.
 func (m *Command) SetupLogger() error {
-	if m.Config.Verbose {
-		vbl, err := pilosa.NewVerboseLogger(m.Config.LogPath, m.Stderr)
+	var err error
+	if m.Config.LogPath == "" {
+		m.logOutput = m.Stderr
+	} else {
+		m.logOutput, err = os.OpenFile(m.Config.LogPath, os.O_RDWR|os.O_CREATE|os.O_APPEND, 0600)
 		if err != nil {
 			return err
 		}
+	}
+
+	if m.Config.Verbose {
+		vbl := pilosa.NewVerboseLogger(m.logOutput)
 		m.logger = vbl.Logger()
 		m.Server.Logger = vbl
 	} else {
-		sl, err := pilosa.NewStandardLogger(m.Config.LogPath, m.Stderr)
-		if err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
+		sl := pilosa.NewStandardLogger(m.logOutput)
 		m.logger = sl.Logger()
 		m.Server.Logger = sl
 	}
@@ -292,9 +297,11 @@ func (m *Command) SetupNetworking() error {
 
 // Close shuts down the server.
 func (m *Command) Close() error {
+	var logErr error
 	serveErr := m.Server.Close()
-	logErr := m.Server.Logger.Close()
-
+	if closer, ok := m.logOutput.(io.Closer); ok {
+		logErr = closer.Close()
+	}
 	close(m.Done)
 	if serveErr != nil && logErr != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("closing server: '%v', closing logs: '%v'", serveErr, logErr)
diff --git a/test/logger.go b/test/logger.go
index ae5984bb7..b4a0079b1 100644
--- a/test/logger.go
+++ b/test/logger.go
@@ -43,8 +43,6 @@ func (b *BufferLogger) Printf(format string, v ...interface{}) {
 
 func (b *BufferLogger) Debugf(format string, v ...interface{}) {}
 
-func (b *BufferLogger) Close() error { return nil }
-
 func (b *BufferLogger) ReadAll() ([]byte, error) {
 	return ioutil.ReadAll(b.buf)
 }