Essinger's

Essinger's was so sordid that the City of Milwaukee closed it down in 1981. But the old girl wasn't done yet.

In October 1982, Mark Silber and his mother Rosella (1935-2021) reopened Essinger's. They sought to revive the spirit of the 1930s cocktail lounge, despite the dangerous decline of the aging neighborhood. Almost immediately, Essinger's faced complaints from neighbors, activists, and Alderman Paul Henningsen. And it just got worse and worse.

"This bar is the headquarters for prostitution," Henningsen told the Milwaukee Journal on June 29, 1984. "I was solicited for sex and pills. I saw known prostitutes going in and out and working the street. I also saw loiterers going in and out. This bar contributes to the problems we have on North 27th Street."

"Essinger's brings utter chaos to the street," said Roger Herburger, who launched a petition to close the bar. "You almost have to walk past that place with a gun."

The bar got its license renewed in June 1984, along with a threat from Henningsen to "immediately" begin revocation proceedings. He succeeded in June 1985.

The Silbers also operated Gare-Bears (927 N. 27th St.) across the street. In 1999, long-time employee Gary Lieske bought the bar, which he continued to operate until the city closed it down in 2021. Lieske described Essinger's as "just beautiful....29 bar stools straight in a row. You needed rollerskates to bartend that SOB."

Stephen and Roz Silber were Milwaukee nightlife legends who had their hands in a number of businesses and ventures. Notably, they opened The Fin 'N Feather (3743 W. Vliet St.) -- which sponsored many women's sports teams throughout the 1960s -- before becoming the Beer Garden in 1969.