Food Hall Would Save Historic Tavern
Clarence Morse's dream to restore 1890s Riverwest tavern moving toward reality.
Humboldt Gardens building at 2249 N. Humboldt Ave. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.
Years after it was first proposed, a proposal to rehabilitate a 134-year-old Schlitz tied-house tavern and develop a food hall at the corner of N. Humboldt and E. North avenues is moving forward.
Developer Clarence Morse was recommended for approval Tuesday to purchase the former Humboldt Gardens building, 2249 N. Humboldt Ave., for $1.
The low price reflects the high difficulty of what Morse is attempting to do.
A six-stall food cart court would be constructed behind the building, while the first floor of the three-story building would be redeveloped as a bar and indoor seating space. The upper floors would become office space. The basement would house a commercial kitchen.
The building has been vacant for several years, with severe water damage. A one-story rear addition was removed in 2019 after a wall collapsed.
“I want to make it beautiful again, restore it back to where it used to be,” said Morse during Tuesday’s Zoning, Neighborhoods & Development Committee meeting.
The building was placed on a list of the city’s 10 most endangered buildings in 2000 and given city historic protection. And while others on the list were saved, the city acquired the Riverwest building in 2015 via property tax foreclosure.
Morse, who leads Brew City Contractors and Dark Horse Development, was a bidder during a 2018 request-for-proposal process. But a different development team proposed to develop condominiums in the 7,798-square-foot structure and won the bidding process. That plan, which called for a $58,500 purchase price, fell through in 2019.
Morse, meanwhile, never lost interest.
Through Brew City Contractors, Morse constructed UpStart Kitchen, a shared kitchen facility for food entrepreneurs. He also saw a similar food truck project, Zocalo Food Park, flourish in Walker’s Point.
“I saw how much demand there was for professional space that’s affordable,” said Morse. “I love the collective model because it allows someone to start a business without having huge sums of money.”
In fall 2021, he was publicly identified as the prospective buyer of the former Riverwest tavern.
In late 2022, the Historic Preservation Commission gave him a hearty endorsement and words of advice. The commission formally approved his plan last May.
Morse is still working with Donna Weiss of Preserve, LLC to secure state and federal historic designation, and the resulting historic preservation tax credits. The credits would fund up to 40% of the historically-sensitive project costs. That would include replacing the turret atop the building, believed to have been lost in the 1950s.
“That’s going very well,” said the developer.
In 2021, a liquor license application said Morse was originally to pay $10,000 for the property. The formal purchase offer, pending Common Council approval next week, cuts the cost to $1 for what is estimated at a $1.2 million project.
An undisclosed operator would manage the business.
“I think it’s going to be a catalyst for that whole area,” said Morse.
He previously told the historic commission that the lack of parking didn’t scare him off and that he believed the building would serve nearby residents from Riverwest and the East Side.
The building has housed a series of taverns and clubs throughout its history beyond its original use as a brewery-owned bar. It’s been home to Zak’s North Ave, Spruce Goose, Kilroy’s Tavern and Hot Spot. The last of these closed in 1992, according to a city report, and the building’s first floor has been vacant since.
Morse is a 2019 graduate of the Associates in Commercial Real Estate program designed to train minorities for careers in real estate. According to a Department of City Development report, he has worked as a contractor since 2010. “He knows falling-apart buildings very well,” said historic commissioner planner Tim Askin in 2022, praising his past work and suitability for pursuing the project.
Charles Kirchhoff, Jr. designed the building for the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. His firm, Kirchhoff & Rose, designed many buildings for the brewery and its owners, the Uihlein family.
Yasmine Ogul Designs produced conceptual renderings for Morse’s proposal.
Pre-Demolition Building Photos
Renderings
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Related Legislation: File 231460
This is good news. I hope he’s right about this being a catalyst for the neighborhood. We need something useful and attractive on that empty lot at the northeast corner.
Here we go again! Love to see ‘ol Zaks back in the game, but that building is trashed!
Well I enjoy driving from Cambridge Woods to Zocalo to buy Ruby’s Bagels. I hope there are great offerings at “Zak’s” food court when it opens.
Perhaps Sigmund Snopek III could perform for the opener!
Can’t wait to see the final result. Been wanting this to be rescued forever.