Throwback photos: Madison-area bars you'll never drink at again, part 1
From the Throwback galleries: A look inside the State Journal's archives series
There are some legendary bars in Madison, including many we wish we could visit just one more time. Here's a look at some of the iconic bars around Madison that have closed over the years — but still left their mark. This is the first installment in a series on old bars and restaurants we still miss.
602 Club
The 602 Club operated from 1951 to 1994 on University Avenue at Frances Street. Known for its eclectic customer base, the 602 drew a crowd on closing day, pictured here.
Lysistrata Bar
Bar manager Penny Caruso (seated) and bartender Meika Alberici are behind the bar in the Lysistrata in 1978. Located at the corner of Gorham and Broom streets, it was a popular feminist and lesbian meeting spot before it was destroyed by fire in 1982.
Stone Front Tavern
The Stone Front Tavern, 533 Regent St., operated in the Greenbush neighborhood and is pictured here in 1933. It was owned by Tony and Celia Schiavo.
Dutch Tavern
The interior of the Dutch Tavern, 121 N. Blount St., is shown here in 1941. In 1966, the owner moved it to 703 E. Johnson St. and changed the name to the Caribou Tavern.
Black Bear Lounge
The exterior of the Black Bear Lounge, 319 N. Frances St., is shown in 1987. The bar, built in 1974, was popular but controversial for having trouble with law enforcement authorities. Owner Muriel Gervasi closed it in 1995. Eventually, the site came to house Dotty Dumplings Dowry.
Stone Hearth
The Stone Hearth, 103 N. Park St., was part of a buzzing concert scene in Madison in the 1980s. It was a popular spot to see live music, including AC/DC, pictured here on this concert poster. Once Madison's largest nightclub, the site housed a club for 24 years, also operating as Bermuda's, R&R Station and Paramount.
Stillwaters
Stillwaters, in business for nearly 30 years, closed in 2005. It was located at 250 State St., on the corner of State and East Johnson streets. It was a popular late-night haunt, but its restaurant also had a solid Downtown lunch crowd.
Union House Tavern
The Union House Tavern, also known as Schulkamp's Corner Saloon when this photo was taken around 1900, was at 2609 E. Washington Ave. at Milwaukee Street. Pictured here is a group of men standing on the porch holding glasses of beer. The original building was replaced, but the site operated as the Union House for decades, being replaced by the Malt House in 2008. Originally, it was part of the Union House hotel, which housed Union soldiers reporting to Camp Randall.
Congress Bar
The interior of the Congress Tavern, 111 W. Main St., is shown here in 1935. It was operated for many years by Pierce Nolen, drawing newspapermen and public officials, and fell victim to a fire in 1966.
Jocko's Rocket Ship
Jocko's Rocket Ship, 430 West Gilman St., was the site of a federal drug investigation that led to the indictment of nine people and allegations of drug use or sales against 11 Madison firefighters. The bar is shown here in 2000. Jocko's owner Bob Schuh, who admitted to running the bar as a drug house for 10 years, got the longest prison sentence. The bar was known as a spot to buy powder cocaine.
Bars at the Hotel Washington
The Hotel Washington, 636 W. Washington Ave., burned down Feb. 18, 1996, taking with it several beloved bars. Club de Wash, pictured here, was a popular live music venue. The building housed a variety of bars and restaurants, including the New Bar, Rod's Club, the Barber's Closet, MicroBar and the Cafe Palms and Espresso Bar. Several were important to the gay and lesbian community.
Bob & Gene's Tavern
Bob & Gene’s Tavern operated in the 600 block of University Avenue for many years, before being torn down in 1978. It became a parking lot and later the site of UW-Madison's Fluno Center for Executive Education. After the building was torn down, the bar's owners at the time, Leo and Jan Castle, ended up running the Village Bar on Mineral Point Road until 1999.
Bee's Tavern
Bee's Tavern, 1109 S. Park St., was known for its 12 pool tables. It was owned by Tony Schiavo and his father, Jimmy, from 1969 to 1985. The bar later became Antonio's restaurant and cocktail lounge.
O’Cayz Corral
O’Cayz Corral, 504 E. Wilson St., played host to a variety of rock, punk and grunge bands over the years. It burned down in a fire on New Year's Day 2001, along with the building next door housing the Comic Strip Lounge.
Hotel Loraine Bar
There was an art deco style bar in the Hotel Loraine, 119-125 W. Washington Ave. It's pictured here in 1934. The hotel was known as the best in Madison from the 1920s through 1960s, drawing politicians and celebrities. It was turned into a state office building and then redeveloped as condos.
Mr. P's Place
Roger Parks, shown here in 2000, opened Mr. P's Place on Beld Street in 1971, and it was a well-known and popular bar on the South Side until it closed in 1998.
Jingles Stadium Bar
William "Jingles" O'Brien opened Jingles Stadium Bar in 1957 in a Quonset hut at 1419 Monroe St., and it stayed in the family until 1999. It quickly became a huge part of Badger Gameday celebrations. "Jingles" O'Brien is pictured here in the bar in 1996. The bar eventually became called The Stadium and was later torn down to make way for an apartment building.
Park Hotel bar
A bartender serves drinks to customers at the circular bar at the Park Hotel, 22 S. Carroll St., in 1937. The original Park Hotel was built in 1871 and demolished in 1961. It was first replaced by the Park Motor Inn and later by the Inn on the Park.
Mustang Inn
The intersection of Main and King streets Downtown was notorious for adult entertainment from the 1960s to the early 1980s. The Mustang Inn, 117 E. Main St., is pictured here on the right in 1979. The bar featured topless women serving lunch and drinks. Next door (on the left) was The Dangle Lounge, a strip club.
Main-King Tap
The Main-King Tap, located on King Street, was a seedy bar where prostitutes reportedly offered their services until 1981. This photo was taken in 1978. With a few other similar businesses nearby, the area around Main and King streets comprised the city’s red light district for two decades.
Fess Hotel bar
The Fess Hotel restaurant opened in 1975 and became a hot spot for nearly two decades, closing in 1994. The bar at the Fess, 123 E. Doty St., was a favorite of many in town. The building is shown here in 1973. It now houses the Great Dane Restaurant and Brew Pub Downtown.
Bogie's
Bogie’s, 736 N. Midvale Blvd., was a night club at the Hilldale Shopping Center. Over the years, it housed a variety of businesses, including Mingles Lounge, Mendota Beach Club, China International Gourmet, Hoffman House, Green Frog and the Game Preserve. This photo inside Bogie’s was taken in 1985, showing Edward Fisher and Todd Bohlman.
Shuffle Inn
The Shuffle Inn, 2501 W. Beltline Highway, was burned down in an arson fire in November 1988. The bar started out on Park Street but moved to a spot off the Beltline near Todd Drive. The fire was started by a serial arsonist.
G.S. Vig's
G.S. Vigs, 1313 University Ave., was a popular spot to see live music in the 1980s. One of its concert posters is pictured here.
Regent Street Retreat
Pat McCurdy performs before a live audience at the Regent Street Retreat on April 22, 2008. The nightclub, 1212 Regent St., was sold in 2013 after operating for many years and turned into The Red Zone.
Luther's Blues
Luther's Blues, 1401 University Ave., closed in 2005 after 4 1/2 years. It played host to many national and local music acts.
Wagon Wheel
The Wagon Wheel, a basement bar of the Turner Hall at 21 S. Butler St., was destroyed by fire March 7, 1990. A bartender was later convicted of arson.
Headliners
A crowd arrives at Headliners, 624 University Ave., in September 1986. It closed in the late 1990s, but not before hosting many big names in music -- including U2, Metallica and R.E.M. The club could hold 800 to 1,000 people.
Pinckney Street Hide-Away
The Pinckney Street Hide-Away, 118 S. Pinckney St., closed in 1996 to make way for a redevelopment project after a couple of decades in business. The Hide-Away, run by Rick Neeman and Stu Becker, served politicians, lobbyists and regular people over the years. Former State Journal columnist Doug Moe once called it “the best working class bar in the shadow of the Capitol.”
The Brass Rail
The Brass Rail was located at 2869 University Ave. This vintage postcard lists it as being on "Super Highway 12-13-14."
Simon's Log Cabin Tavern
Jack Simon's Log Cabin Tavern was located on Highway 51 at the intersection of highways 12 and 18. The sign advertises chicken, steak, fish and lobster.
Angelic Brewing Co.
The Angelic Brewing Co., 322 W. Johnson St., closed in 2008 after the city held its liquor license due to debt to wholesalers. The establishment had been open since 1995. Before Angelic, the building housed Spectators.
Camels Tavern
A large display of whiskey bottles lines the back of the bar at Camels Tavern, 619 University Ave., which started in business in 1916 and continued through at least the 1940s. Albert Higgins is pictured pouring whiskey in 1937. The site later housed Bob & Gene's.
Millard's Tavern
Millard's Tavern, 504 E. Wilson St., with a Fauerbach CB beer sign is pictured here in 1955. Millard's was later the home of O'Cayz Corral, which burned down on Jan. 1, 2001.
Kehl's Casino
Kehl's Casino operated at 3554 E. Washington Ave. This vintage matchbook advertises cocktails, fine food and hotel rooms.
Tony's Palm Tavern
Tony Urso's West Side Palm Gardens Tavern was located at 730-736 W. Washington Ave. in the Greenbush neighborhood. This photo was taken around 1960. Inside, the place had palm trees painted on the walls.
Plough Inn
The Plough Inn, 3402 Monroe St., was a tavern built in 1853 that at one time drew lead miners and soldiers from Camp Randall. This view is circa 1900. The property is now part of the Arbor House bed and breakfast.
Dry Bean
The Dry Bean, 5264 Verona Road, closed in 2011 after 19 years in business. It's pictured here in 2004. They served drinks and food and also hosted live rock and country music shows.
The Flame
The Flame, 540 State St., is pictured in this vintage postcard. It was run by Lou Wagner, who also ran the Campus Soda Grill and other businesses.
Paul's Speedway Bar
Paul's Speedway Bar, 8240 Mineral Point Road at Highway M, was a fixture on Madison's far West Side for decades. It closed in 2004 to make way for a bank. It was once a country roadhouse but later landed in the middle of West Side traffic jams as the city grew.
The Tree and the Poodle Dog
The Tree and the Poodle Dog bar, 212 State St., opened in about 1960, with a bar on the ground floor and a restaurant upstairs. It was known for containing a huge oak tree. The place later became Paul's Club, which ended up moving in 2012 a few doors down to 204 State St. They took the tree with them.
The Klinic
The Klinic Bar, 520 S. Park St., closed in 2008. It's pictured here in June 2007. Before that, it operated as The Office bar.
Cafe Montmarte
Cafe Montmarte, a wine bar and music club at 127 E. Mifflin St., closed in 2009. It had a 17-year run before falling victim to economic conditions.
R Place on Park
"R" Place on Park, 1821 S. Park St., opened in 2008 with a plan to feature live music. It was ordered shut down in the fall of 2011 because of a series of violent incidents at or near the bar.
The Bull Ring
The Bull Ring, located at 317 State St., is pictured here in 1974. The building once housed the E.W. Eddy Restaurant when the building was constructed in 1907.
Throwback gallery: About the slideshow
Information and images for this slideshow largely came from newspaper archives. Some photos came from the State Historical Society. (The picture above is a postcard of the Congress Bar, circa 1940s.) Interested in more throwback galleries? Check out our complete series on closed bars and restaurants.
In this Series
Throwback galleries: A look inside the State Journal's archives
Teryl Franklin | Wisconsin State Journal
Senior editor for audience development
Teryl Franklin is the senior editor for audience development for the Wisconsin State Journal. She has worked at the paper since 1996 in a variety of roles, including business editor, city editor and managing editor.
Browse our galleries of throwback photos from the Wisconsin State Journal archives.
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