Bay View Restaurant Closes
Former SAGE's restaurant space now available for lease. The White House is for sale.
White House, 2900 S. Kinnickinnic Ave. File photo by Jeramey Jannene.
SAGE, a Bay View restaurant known for its seasonal menu, closed last weekend after just over a year in business. Owner Allison Meinhardt announced the news in an email Monday, thanking the community for “six beautiful years of service under The White House & SAGE.”
With the restaurant’s departure, the space is now available for lease, while the historic White House building, 2900 S. Kinnickinnic Ave., remains for sale.
Meinhardt purchased the property in 2019 for $400,000 and, in partnership with Zachary Byrne, opened The White House, a fine dining restaurant serving French-inspired cuisine. The restaurant operated for several years, but was closed and remodeled in 2024 amid plans to transition the 4,800-square-foot building to an events-only venue.
Later that year, Meinhardt and Alexander Stewart opened SAGE, offering a menu of vegetable-forward dishes made with seasonal ingredients and colorful presentation.
Meinhardt also introduced a second-floor exhibition space and activated outdoor areas, including a patio and garden, for dining and community activities. The property features a 16-space parking lot.
Originally built as a Schlitz tavern in the 1890 by William Kneisler, the Queen Anne-style structure has a long history as a gathering place. It has served as an unofficial political headquarters, a site for election day parties and even operated as a Prohibition-era “Soft Drink Parlor.”
The building was briefly closed between 2017 and 2019 before being purchased by Meinhardt. For more on the building’s history, see a 2015 profile by Michael Horne.
The restaurant space is available for lease immediately. For inquiries and showings, contact allisonmeinhardt@gmail.com.
The full 4,800-square-foot property is listed for $1.05 million—down from the original $1.6 million asking price. The sale includes all commercial restaurant equipment on the premises, including a walk-in cooler, stove, 50 antique chairs, antique sofas, glassware and more, according to the listing. For inquiries, email stephc@kw.com.
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There needs to be a massive road diet for all of Kinnickinnic Ave, but especially around this 2-3-way intersection with Ellen and Estes St too.
It’s such a cool old building but being surrounded by concrete and fast cars does not help it.