Michael Murray and David Skwarek are opening a bar called the Pump House -- and it's not going to be another martini lounge, nor will it be a wine bar, sports bar or anything else that's been done to death in Milwaukee over the last few years.
When the Pump House opens -- Halloween is the goal, though it might be early November -- it will be video bar, which, being the first of its kind in Milwaukee, requires a bit of explanation.
"They have them in Chicago," says Murray, who got his inspiration from a Windy City video bar called Sidetracks. "There'll be a theater-sized screen above the bar and that will have lots of cult movie bits -- a little 'Napoleon Dynamite,' a little 'Mommy Dearest' -- mixed in with the music. One night of the week will be campy show tunes, another night we'll play old sit-coms that you haven't seen in 30 years. It's constant, crazy entertainment."
The Pump House, which takes its name from the building's original purpose, stands tall and stark along the river on 1st Street. It's just south of Walker's Point, and, technically, it's the last building to be considered part of the Bay View neighborhood. It's almost in a no man's land of sorts, and that's exactly what attracted them to the historic building in the first place.
"People have said, 'You guys are by yourselves down there, isn't that going to affect it?' and really, it's the opposite. We don't have any neighbors involved and we have plenty of room for parking. The water is a major draw. This is different from anything that's along the river in the Third Ward, where the Riverwalk is public and everything is so tight. Here there is room to hang out because it's a real marina."
Inside the two-story, 1931 built brick building, an original crane remains in tact near the stairs, and the rest of the space is divided up into three bar areas. The front bar area will include lounge chairs, the back will have a pool table and a selection of arcade games and there'll be two patios, one off the mezzanine and one on the ground floor.
When it came down to interior design, Murray, referring to his concept as "planned eclectic," says he wanted to represent a few different styles that he felt were important to the overall feel of the Pump House. One of those represents the Works Progress Administration (WPA) artists working under the government during the Depression Era when the building was constructed.
"Our design harkens back to what the building originally was when it was built -- and then we're giving it an updated version. The original pump house was a WPA project and some of the best architects, who were out of work at the time, were hired to create these types of buildings -- that's why they have such a dramatic look to them. If those same architects were designing this building today, we thought about what they would have done the interior, and that's what we're trying to do. Maybe a little edgier."
The kitchen at the Pump House will feature "upscale basket food," which translates to easy to eat, inexpensive yet tasty items like petite Reubens, soup bowls, wraps and appetizers served in wire baskets with a linen napkin.
"The warm months here are going to have a very laid back, marina lifestyle thing going on outside on the patio and along the water," says Murray. "For instance, when we grill food, we use a real grill."
There are several boat slips for people to dock while they dine, there's a large sandy spot for volleyball, a pit for bonfires and a second floor patio facing Downtown.
Murray and Skwarek consider their bar and grill to be gay-friendly and anticipate a mixed crowd that feels comfortable and wants to have a good time.
"We're not trying to do anything avant-garde -- it's not anything that takes any mental commitment, it's just for fun," says Murray. "It's not supposed to make any kind of statement, either you dig it or you don't. It'll be a light atmosphere."
When the Pump House opens -- Halloween is the goal, though it might be early November -- it will be video bar, which, being the first of its kind in Milwaukee, requires a bit of explanation.
"They have them in Chicago," says Murray, who got his inspiration from a Windy City video bar called Sidetracks. "There'll be a theater-sized screen above the bar and that will have lots of cult movie bits -- a little 'Napoleon Dynamite,' a little 'Mommy Dearest' -- mixed in with the music. One night of the week will be campy show tunes, another night we'll play old sit-coms that you haven't seen in 30 years. It's constant, crazy entertainment."
The Pump House, which takes its name from the building's original purpose, stands tall and stark along the river on 1st Street. It's just south of Walker's Point, and, technically, it's the last building to be considered part of the Bay View neighborhood. It's almost in a no man's land of sorts, and that's exactly what attracted them to the historic building in the first place.
"People have said, 'You guys are by yourselves down there, isn't that going to affect it?' and really, it's the opposite. We don't have any neighbors involved and we have plenty of room for parking. The water is a major draw. This is different from anything that's along the river in the Third Ward, where the Riverwalk is public and everything is so tight. Here there is room to hang out because it's a real marina."
Inside the two-story, 1931 built brick building, an original crane remains in tact near the stairs, and the rest of the space is divided up into three bar areas. The front bar area will include lounge chairs, the back will have a pool table and a selection of arcade games and there'll be two patios, one off the mezzanine and one on the ground floor.
When it came down to interior design, Murray, referring to his concept as "planned eclectic," says he wanted to represent a few different styles that he felt were important to the overall feel of the Pump House. One of those represents the Works Progress Administration (WPA) artists working under the government during the Depression Era when the building was constructed.
"Our design harkens back to what the building originally was when it was built -- and then we're giving it an updated version. The original pump house was a WPA project and some of the best architects, who were out of work at the time, were hired to create these types of buildings -- that's why they have such a dramatic look to them. If those same architects were designing this building today, we thought about what they would have done the interior, and that's what we're trying to do. Maybe a little edgier."
The kitchen at the Pump House will feature "upscale basket food," which translates to easy to eat, inexpensive yet tasty items like petite Reubens, soup bowls, wraps and appetizers served in wire baskets with a linen napkin.
"The warm months here are going to have a very laid back, marina lifestyle thing going on outside on the patio and along the water," says Murray. "For instance, when we grill food, we use a real grill."
There are several boat slips for people to dock while they dine, there's a large sandy spot for volleyball, a pit for bonfires and a second floor patio facing Downtown.
Murray and Skwarek consider their bar and grill to be gay-friendly and anticipate a mixed crowd that feels comfortable and wants to have a good time.
"We're not trying to do anything avant-garde -- it's not anything that takes any mental commitment, it's just for fun," says Murray. "It's not supposed to make any kind of statement, either you dig it or you don't. It'll be a light atmosphere."
OnMilwaukee.com staff writer Julie Lawrence grew up in Wauwatosa and has lived her whole life in the Milwaukee area.
As any “word nerd” can attest, you never know when inspiration will strike, so from a very early age Julie has rarely been seen sans pen and little notebook. At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee it seemed only natural that she major in journalism. When OnMilwaukee.com offered her an avenue to combine her writing and the city she knows and loves in late 2004, she knew it was meant to be. Around the office, she answers to a plethora of nicknames, including “Lar,” (short for “Larry,” which is short for “Lawrence”) as well as the mysteriously-sourced “Bill Murray.”
