Downtown Strip Club Building For Sale
Silk on Water could get a new landlord.
Photo taken on Sep 4, 2020 by Mariiana Tzotcheva
An exotic opportunity has materialized at 144 E. Juneau Ave.
The 1,760-square-foot building, home to Silk on Water, is for sale. It’s priced at just under $1.2 million—almost three times the amount it was assessed for in 2025.
Touted in an online listing as having a “long, colorful history,” the tavern building has operated as a strip club for more than 50 years, with past tenants including Art’s Performing Center and Grand Prix Lounge.
Silk on Water took over in 2019 and continues under manager Craig Ploetz, with Scott Krahn as agent and Kyle Zubke as director of operations. The license notes that Sow Properties, LLC, with Zubke as registered agent, has 100% ownership of the business.
A representative of Silk told Urban Milwaukee in an email that the club, which has a long-term lease in the building, is not part of the sale, and plans to continue operating as-is. The property, according to city assessment records, is owned by former Art’s owner Lyle Messinger.
Silk has a second Milwaukee club at 730 N. Martin Luther King Jr Dr., as well one in Middleton. A fourth location at 11400 W. Silver Spring Rd. announced its closure in early 2024 but reopened in March of that same year after a rebrand. It’s now known as Silk Platinum.
The King Drive club opened in 2018 following years of controversy and lawsuits between the City of Milwaukee, Silk Exotic and other prospective club owners. Its eventual approval coincided with the settlement of several of those suits, after a long period in which the city repeatedly rejected proposals for new downtown clubs.
The Juneau Avenue building, originally constructed in 1890, is situated between Fiserv Forum and the Water Street bar district.
The property is listed with Paul Monigal of Corley Real Estate.
Update: a previous version of this story stated that Silk’s Silver Spring Road location was closed
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