The Estate Closes for Regular Business
Historic East Side cocktail lounge will still present some special events, including live music.
The Estate, 2423 N. Murray Ave. Photo taken Feb. 8, 2023 by Sophie Bolich.
The Estate, a historic cocktail bar and former jazz club, has closed its doors on the East Side. And though it’s retired from regular business, the venerable establishment will continue to welcome guests for special events.
The change comes as a blow to the neighborhood, where The Estate, 2423 N. Murray Ave., has served as a local watering hole and hepcat hangout for nearly half a century. A silver lining though, is that it will allow the tavern to return to its jazz-focused roots — a previously improbable shift that patrons have fervently requested for more than a year.
Owner John Dye confirmed the closure in an email on Saturday, noting that the tavern quietly closed for regular business in September 2023.
Dye purchased The Estate, formerly known as The Jazz Estate, in 2016. Under his ownership, the business took a step back from its live music background through a rebrand in 2023, which Dye said was a result of consumers’ changing behavior following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“After we re-opened in 2021 we found that people were very reluctant to go to a tiny live music club to see live music and we struggled to make it work for over a year,” he told Urban Milwaukee in an email.
Despite that, Dye continued to express the principles of jazz through his entrepreneurial spirit — improvisation, creativity and a rhythmic groove to keep things moving forward.
In an attempt to salvage the business, Dye said he tried suspending the nightly performances in hopes of reinvigorating the bar crowd — something The Estate has always relied on to survive, he said.
But the business continued to struggle, leading Dye to make what he called a difficult decision. “I decided the best thing to do would be to take a break, regroup, and hope the environment in which we operate changes.”
Dye said he’s proud of what he and his team have built at The Estate over the past eight years, and hopes that patrons’ main takeaway will be “all the wonderful memories” made inside the business’s walls — from milestone anniversaries and birthdays to casual catch ups with friends.
A Montana native, Dye’s work has positioned him as an integral part of Milwaukee history. In addition to The Estate, he is the proprietor for At Random and Bryant’s Cocktail Lounge — both institutions of the South Side.
As The Estate enters its new era, Dye hopes to help other entrepreneurs avoid the same challenges he faced.
“Remember to support all the small businesses that make Milwaukee such a special place to live. It’s easy to take the classic Milwaukee businesses for granted, but things are really challenging right now and every business could use your support,” he said.
He also encouraged locals to uplift the city’s jazz scene by supporting businesses such as Gibraltar, Bar Centro and Caroline’s Jazz Club. “They are all wonderful establishments that bring a lot of life to Milwaukee.”
Since September, The Estate has reopened for several shows — namely, the bar’s wildly popular annual showing of Vince Guaraldi‘s “A Charlie Brown Christmas” program. Upcoming shows featuring Cameron Webb and his Soul Revue are planned for Valentine’s Day week. Performances will take place on Feb. 9, 10, 14 and 16. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit the event website.
Those who wish to stay up-to-date on future events and the latest news from The Estate can subscribe to the business’s online newsletter.
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