Council Votes To Close HEX Night Club

HEX Night Club, 715-717 S. 5th St., in May 2022. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The Milwaukee Common Council voted unanimously on Tuesday to close HEX Night Club. But the move was largely a formality; the nightclub was already closed following a tumultuous year.

The club, 715 S. 5th St., was the site of two drive-by shootings and the subject of numerous complaints from neighbors in Walker’s Point. A final blow came in July, when building owner Larry Pachefsky moved to evict HEX. The same month, the Milwaukee Police Department declared the premises a nuisance property.

On Oct. 17, the Licenses Committee recommended nonrenewal for the business’s liquor license, citing owner Eric Whitelaw‘s failure to appear at two consecutive renewal hearings. Whitelaw also did not file an objection in advance of the Oct. 31 meeting of the full Common Council, and was not present to testify on behalf of the business.

The nightclub held a sold-out “Last Call” event on Sept. 24, offering patrons a final night of drinks, dancing and hookah to close out its nearly four-year run in the neighborhood.

HEX Night Club opened in December 2019, replacing Jynx Nightclub in the two-story, 6,111-square-foot building. The club occupied both floors, offering alcohol, hookah, DJs, dancing and events such as Thirsty Thursdays and Soul Food Sundays.

The business was the target of two drive-by shootings this year, on April 5 and another just three months later on July 1.

According to a police report, a manager told police after the April shooting that shooters may have been targeting the business in retaliation for its recent purchase of an ID scanner to prevent minors from entering. The July shooting was the result of a dispute with the club’s promoter.

Nobody was injured during either incident, both of which occurred when the club was closed. But the gunplay rattled neighbors — many of whom emailed their objections to area Alderman José G. Pérez. Several complaints also cite drunk driving, speeding and other alleged nuisance behaviors from patrons.

In February, the city shut down a nightclub, Walker’s Lounge, located a block to the north. Owner Felipe Martinez, Jr. sued the city and secured a temporary injunction while the case played out in circuit court. But the court ruled in the city’s favor, with Martinez appealing the case in the Court of Appeals without an injunction. The bar is now closed while a ruling is pending.