BELGIUM, Wis. — Firefighters responded to the scene of a fire at Lake Church Inn, a historic building located in Belgium, Tuesday night. Now, officials say the building is a total loss.
[Historic photos can be found at the bottom of this article]
The Ozaukee County Sheriff's Office says fire crews worked to extinguish the fire from 5:30 p.m. until midnight. Part of the building had to be demolished as crews battled the flames, and now the structure is a total loss.
The fire started in the kitchen, but the cause is undetermined. However, the sheriff's office said it does not appear to be suspicious. One person was evaluated on the scene due to heavy exposure to smoke.
WATCH: The Lake Church Inn appears severely damaged amid Tuesday's fire
The building is located off Highway D at the corner of Lake Church Road. According to Lake Church Inn, the historic tavern and grill has been around since the 1800s.
CTH D between Lake Church Rd. and Harrington Beach State Park was closed for approximately 6 hours while crews were on scene.
'If these walls could talk' is the phrase that comes to mind when thinking of the expansive history of the Lake Church Inn.
The bar first started serving customers in 1870. While ownership has changed multiple times, the building has always housed a bar.
Originally it was owned by the Ronk family as a general store, saloon, and hotel according to the Luxembourg American Cultural Society. It's also been owned by the Bink family, the Krier family, the Schanen family, the Schuller family, and the Krizek family until Dave Maiman and his wife took it over in the early 2000s. The Maimans will be the last in line in what you could call the building's family tree.
"It's kind of been the last 20 years of my life," said Maiman. "So, kind of bummed. And I was looking forward to passing it on to the next person that bought her. But that's not going to happen."
The old bar is now a pile of wood, broken windows, pieces of the tin ceiling, and the remnants of what make a bar, a bar.
"That's kind of sad, just cause it was such a historic place," Maiman said with a deep sigh as he looked over the rubble Wednesday morning.
It's clear it the bar meant a lot to Mainman, who at times seems to choke up with emotion while talking about the building he bought 20 years ago.
It's also clear how much of a community staple it was. On Wednesday, neighbors slowed down as they drove down the road to look at the ruins. Some even stopped to get out. All remembered the Friday Fish Fry.
Among those who stopped was local historian Kevin Wester.
"It's just really, really sad because for us it was symbolic of our ancestors and the life that this community once had," Wester said.
The historian recently wrote a book about the history of the unincorporated Lake Church.
"Along with the church, it was kind of like the hub of the community," Wester said of the bar. "These Luxembourg farmers were very isolated working on their farms. And on Sunday, they'd come to mass and after mass, the men would come to sit in the saloon and gossip about men stuff."
Maiman tells the old tale with a bit of humor.
"The guys used to say there were no bathrooms [at the church] and they would come here to use the bathroom and they'd never go back to church. Their Wives knew where to find them," Maiman said with a chuckle.
Of course, Maiman made his own memories in the bar as well.
"We had a lot of fun, especially when I was younger. Things that happens in bars," he shared.
One of those memories was just last Friday, what would end up being the last of the beloved Friday Fish Frys at the Lake Church Inn.
"We did 165 this last Friday for fish fry," he recalled.
What seems to make Maiman the most emotional is knowing that new memories won't be made at Lake Church Inn.
"I'm sad that it's not going to be around for people to enjoy down the road anymore," he said.
Luckily, you don't need walls and a roof for memories to live on outside a building.
"You know, any bar owner will tell ya, it's about the people. A lot of nice folks," Maiman said about what's really important.
Responding fire departments Tuesday night included the Belgium Fire Department, Waubeka Fire Department, Random Lake Fire Department, Saukville Fire Department, Cedar Grove Fire Department, Fredonia Fire Department, Southern Ozaukee Fire Department, Port Washington Fire Department, Grafton Fire Department, Newburg Fire Department, Fillmore Fire Department, Cedarburg Fire Department, North Shore Fire Department, West Bend Fire Department, Oostburg Fire Department, Silver Creek Fire Department, Jackson Fire Department, Adell Fire Department, Waldo Fire Department, Boltonville Fire Department, Cascade Fire Department, and the Town of Wilson Fire Department.
HISTORIC PHOTOS: Below you can browse historic photos of the Lake Church Inn
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