Is ‘This Is It’ Building Worthy of Historic Designation?
One of nation's oldest gay bars closed in March. Nomination would save its facade.
This Is It! 418 E. Wells St. Photo taken March 10, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
Wisconsin’s oldest gay bar closed its doors for good in March. A new historic designation application would ensure that its rainbow-colored exterior lasts well into the future.
This Is It!, 418 E. Wells St., opened in 1968, and was a longtime anchor of Milwaukee’s LGBTQ+ community. But it closed in March due to what majority owner George Schneider said was a sustained business downturn driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the reconstruction of E. Wells Street.
A newly-released application to the Historic Preservation Commission requests to designate the entire two-story building, 418-432 E. Wells St., as historic. The larger, 16,640-square-foot structure also includes a second restaurant space facing Cathedral Square Park and a second-story office space. A steakhouse, 801 Restaurant, is proposed for the other commercial space.
Local historic protection in Milwaukee prevents modifications to a building’s exterior without prior approval, but does not prohibit changes to a building’s interior.
The nomination was submitted by downtown resident Sydni Foley. A “written statement of significance” included with the application denotes the bar’s position as Wisconsin’s oldest gay bar and references several other news articles, including Urban Milwaukee’s 2014 profile. The commission staff will create a full report on the building.
The property is owned by Van Buren Management, a real estate investment firm led by Joel Lee.
The Historic Preservation Commission is expected to review the proposal at its June 2 meeting. Its recommendation is subject to Common Council approval.
The bar was originally owned and operated by June Brehm and later passed down to her son Joseph Brehm. It was later acquired by an ownership group led by Schneider. Trixie Mattel, a well-known drag queen, joined as a minority owner in 2021.
This Is It! underwent an expansion in 2018, growing to include a dance floor by consuming a portion of the former Louise’s Trattoria space. Prior to the expansion, it was a 1,200-square-foot bar.
According to city assessment records, the building was constructed in 1914. The property is assessed for $1.7 million.
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Why bother to single this one out, now that it’s closed, too. It was just another gay bar, and not the most popular one.
Given its significance as the location of Wisconsin’s oldest gay bar, I does seem to pass the historic significance test. The designation is for the building—which still exists—not the business.