MILWAUKEE, Wisc. — We see a lot of new buildings popping up all around the city.
But the ones that have stood the test of time --- those are something really special.
The moment you walk into Landmark 1850 Inn, you’re immediately taken by all the history.
New owner Linda Garcia says that’s part of the magic.
“I don't know how many people have just burst into tears when they walk in because of the memories that they have here and they see certain things that are in the same place or that they remember,” said Garcia.
The antique cash registers, photos, press clippings, and restored vintage ceilings are all memories of Milwaukee's oldest bar preserved in honor of the Inn's last owner, the late Joseph Halser III.
“He was a genius, he was an inventor. He created all of this and he left a lot of himself here,” said Garcia.
Halser kept the bar open for 40 years until the day before he died in 2022.
After his passing, his sons looked for new owners but never found the right deal.
“I’m sure there are times when it's really difficult. I mean, it was difficult for them to even walk inside at the beginning,” said Garcia.
They say that all changed when Linda reached out on social media last fall.
“We realized that we both wanted the same thing for the Landmark and that was to just rejuvenate it, but keep a lot of things the same,” said Garcia.
Linda worked at the Inn back in the 90s and says it always had a special place in her heart.
After a whirlwind few months, the bar finally reopened on April 13.
"I spent a lot of time here at different periods, different times in my life. And now I have this amazing experience of owning one of my favorite places. I mean, it's pretty surreal."
Randy Klaybor says he has been coming to the Inn since he was 18.
“I was a lifeguard and we’d cash our checks here way back in the day, in the 80s. “You'd come in on payday with your check?” Yeah, the whole crew would come here,” said Klaybor.
He remembers spending many fun nights at the bar, enjoying a cold beer alongside his beloved wife, Karla.
“Those days of being young, me and Karla coming here, that of course, is very special, very special to me,” said Klaybor.
Linda says meeting people like Randy is exactly why she is proud to carry on the tavern's legacy for years to come.
“I feel like we're just another piece in the timeline and then we'll end up leaving behind a story that just continues, hopefully for another 175 years,” said Garcia.
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