Temple Goddess Reports Two Close Calls at Farwell Intersection
Just a year after crash closed former restaurant, cars nearly strike cafe building twice.
Temple Goddess Cafe, 1978 N. Farwell Ave. Photo taken June 19, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.
Last weekend brought two near-misses to Temple Goddess cafe, whose corner building at 1978 N. Farwell Ave. was the site of multiple car crashes Saturday evening.
Neither involved contact with the cafe, and nobody was injured. However, a vehicle involved in the later incident came within two feet of the business’s exterior, according to Temple Goddess co-owner Gregory Cilmi.
The high-traffic intersection has proven problematic for the building, which sits on the southeast corner and is especially vulnerable to left turns off the one-way Farwell Avenue.
Though he did not witness the first crash, Cilmi said the second occurred when a driver slowed to make a turn and was rear-ended, sending the car up onto the sidewalk.
“It hasn’t even been a year since the wall was rebuilt from the last accident,” Cilmi told Urban Milwaukee in a text message.
The close calls come just over a year after a 2024 crash caused major damage to the building, forcing then-tenant The Lafayette Place to shutter. Repairs were still underway nearly a year later when Temple Goddess opened last summer.
At the time, Cilmi and co-owner Eve Savva said they intended to work with area Alderman Alex Brower to install bollards to protect the building from future crashes. None have yet appeared, but Cilmi said he is now revisiting that effort and plans to contact Brower for intervention.
The 2024 crash occurred over Labor Day weekend when a motorist traveling south on Farwell Avenue attempted to turn left from the center lane, cutting off another driver on the far-left side of the one-way street. That driver swerved and struck the cafe building.
Other crashes have been reported at the site under previous ownership, though city records do not reflect related repairs.
Temple Goddess Cafe has operated in Milwaukee since early 2024, when Cilmi and Savva launched the plant-based business at Paper Table, 733-737 N. Milwaukee St. It later relocated to Crossroads Collective, where it remained until the food hall closed in May 2025.
At its current location, Temple Goddess offers a wide range of vegan dishes, from Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisine to sushi and burgers. See the business’s Facebook page for updates.
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