Milwaukee’s Oldest Bar Is Reopening

Landmark 1850 Inn, 5917 S. Howell Ave. Photo taken April 23, 2022 by Jeramey Jannene.

Joseph Halser IV has never been a superstitious man, but lately he’s been finding it increasingly difficult to explain away a series of coincidences surrounding his father’s old tavern, Landmark 1850 Inn.

Located at 5905 S. Howell Ave., just across the street from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, Landmark isn’t just any old tavern, it’s the oldest in Milwaukee, having opened somewhere around 150 years ago, depending on who you ask. For nearly four decades, Joseph G. Halser III was at the helm; he owned, operated and lived above the Cream City brick tavern from 1983 until his passing in 2022.

At that time, the younger Halser, along with his brother, Jeff, were left to take over the tavern, though they were unable to open it because of probate issues. They tried to sell it — and succeeded twice — but both times it later ended up back in their hands.

Around the same time, a former employee, Linda Garcia, reached out to Halser. The two hadn’t spoken in over two decades, but were soon in talks to partner and reopen the tavern.

“I’ll be honest with you, I wasn’t brought up a spiritual person at all, but I swear this has started to be really weird,” Halser said. “It feels like everything has really fallen into place. I just keep running off of that, it’s kind of like my guiding light in the whole thing.”

Whether by divine intervention or simply good fortune, the tavern is set to reopen in March. Garcia will handle day-to-day operations at first, with the possibility of taking full ownership of the business in the future.

Starting next spring, guests at Landmark 1850 Inn can expect the same welcoming, cozy and antique-filled space as before — with a few improvements. That includes refinished floors, additional booth seating, a new draft system and a more efficient bar area. The menu will get a refresh, though burgers, fish fry and other no-frills favorites will remain top priorities, Halser said.

Garcia, a well-practiced bartender, plans to put her decades of experience to work in crafting high-quality cocktails, such as those you’d expect to find at a supper club. “We’ve talked about really putting an effort into making drinks the right way and from scratch,” Halser said.

Offerings will range from classic martinis to out-of-the-box concoctions such as the strawberry-raspberry long island iced tea slushy. Additionally, the house old fashioned — always brandy, always sweet — is not to be missed.

The bar will also feature a wide variety of beers, offering up to 32 taplines with a focus on German and Belgian brews — an homage to the area’s history as a settlement for German immigrants. A selection of craft beers, as well as brews from Stone Arch Brewpub and Halser’s own brand, III Dachshunds, will also be available.

As he prepares to reopen the tavern, Halser said he’s looking forward to reconnecting with longtime patrons. “It just kind of amazes me how much people still want to come back here,” he said. “I mean, you have people that were coming here for 20-some years, who are just looking forward to coming back again.”

The loyalty of these customers made Halser realize the importance of preserving the tavern as is. “Old buildings take on a life of their own,” he said.

The focus now is to polish it up and let it shine.

“We just want to revitalize it and get it back to the way that it used to be as far as people looking at it as a destination — a place that you have to go when you’re in Milwaukee,” Garcia said.

The elder Halser, who passed away at the age of 80, was a teacher, inventor and entrepreneur who renovated the Cream City brick tavern into a bar that was a draw for locals and visitors alike. In addition to being adept at preserving and repurposing historic artifacts, Halser held patents on audio transformers. He was also a prolific collector of antiques, many of which remain on display inside the tavern today.

As young men, all three Halser brothers spent time working at Landmark; Joseph left his position in 2006 to open City Lounge tavern in Cudahy, 3455 E. Layton Ave. That tavern, now long under different ownership, is currently known as the Brickyard Bar & Grill. At the time it was the first marketed smoke-free bar in the Milwaukee area, opening three years before the ban went into effect. In addition to his role at Landmark, Halser is part owner of Boulder Beer Bar in Boulder Junction.

Halser said that his dad loved the tavern — that much is clear based on the tireless work he put into it — but his passion sometimes crossed over into stubbornness. “My dad never wanted to let go, but he didn’t have a plan for the future,” said Halser, who noted that he intends to do things differently.

“I feel like with us letting go, it gives us a plan for the future, but we also have a place with helping her and being involved,” he said with a nod in Garcia’s direction.

The tavern is surrounded by a nearly 11-acre property that includes a former trucking building-turned beer garden and event venue, which the elder Halser dubbed The Terminal; a wood-frame building that previously housed the Port of Hamburg bar; a garage that sits on its own parcel and lots of open land.

A previous sale of the adjoining property fell through, but Halser is planning to re-list it in the future. The Terminal building, he said, would be the perfect site for a brewery.

As the tavern approaches its reopening date, additional updates will be posted to the business’s Facebook page.

Photos