1126 North Main Street (Racine, Wisconsin)

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**1126 North Main Street** was a building on the southwest corner of North Main Street and Hamilton Street in Racine, Wisconsin. It was the site of a tavern operated by various owners between 1910 and 1964, and became a soft drink parlor and suspected speakeasy during Prohibition, from 1920 to 1933. The building was demolished in 1965. Firestone Complete Auto Care #655244 was built on its site at 1122 North Main Street in 1976.

## History

Albert Nitzke applied for a liquor license for the premises of 1126 North Main Street in June 1910. On the night of July 26, 1912, Gus Nelson and Herbert Jensen refused to leave Nitzke's sample rooms, and when a patrolman was called, Nelson bit him on the arm and Jensen struck him in the face. Both spent the night in jail. Nitzke was taken to court over apparently illegally selling alcohol on Election Day (November 3), 1914, and was found guilty despite his defense that the beer in question was taken from a back room and not sold. The body of Robert Hurman, a crew member of the *SS Hennepin* who was a frequent patron at the tavern and had listed it as his permanent address, was found in the Sheboygan River in Sheboygan, Wisconsin on May 21, 1916.

After the prohibition of alcohol in the United States in 1920, Otto Nitzke began operating the business as a soft drink parlor. On October 22, 1924, state prohibition enforcement agents raided Nitzke's parlor and found a small quantity of liquor; Nitzke was not arrested but was made to pay a $500 fine the following day. After Prohibition was repealed in 1933, Frank and John Mohrbacker opened Mohrey's Tavern in the building on July 14, 1934.

Fred Arndt applied for a liquor license for the premises in June 1938. A 30-year-old Racine man was arrested on October 25, 1938, for allegedly stealing $50 from Arndt's tavern on October 22. Earl Swartz and Robert Ramig applied for a liquor license for the same premises just seven months later in January 1939 William Wuerzberger applied for the same license in June 1940.

William and Ernest Wuerzberger operated the tavern from 1940 to 1964. Wuerzberger found a missing purse belonging to a nearby resident was found in the tavern on April 13, 1959. Ernest Wuerzberger's tavern license expired in June 1964, and he chose not to renew it. Local law required all new tavern licenses to be accompanied by the cancellation of an existing license; Wuerzberger's license was paired with an application by Ronald L. Petersen to operate Cy's Tavern at 509 Sixth Street, whose previous license had expired without a proper renewal. After months of legal wrangling, Petersen was granted the license in December 1964. In May 1965, city inspectors instructed the building's owner, Ella Schultz, to make repairs to the dilapidated building that included the demolition of the garage. By June, Schultz had been ordered to repair or raze the building within 20 days.

After the Kelley Lumber Company closed and demolished its lumber yard at 1100 North Main Street in 1967, the Main Street-facing side of the block became vacant. Sparkle Quick Auto Wash purchased the combined property, and the site of the former tavern building was sold to Firestone Tire and Rubber Company in 1975. Firestone Complete Auto Care #655244 has existed at 1122 North Main Street since 1976.

## References

1. ↑ Nitzke, Albert. "Application for Liquor License", Racine Journal-News, June 15, 1910, page eight.
2. ↑ "Refused Drinks; Fight", Racine Journal-News, July 27, 1912, page four.
3. ↑ "Albert Nitzke, 1126 North Main Street, was tried...", Racine Journal-News, November 5, 1914, page ten.
4. ↑ "Sheboygan River Gives Up Body of Racine Man", Racine Journal Times, May 22, 1916, front page.
5. ↑ "State Dry Agents Stage Raids Here", Racine Journal-News, October 22, 1924, front page.
6. ↑ "Two Seized Here in Raids Pay Fines", Racine Journal Times, October 23, 1924, page four.
7. ↑ Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, July 14, 1934, page eight.
8. ↑ "Notice of Application for License", Racine Journal Times, June 8, 1938, page fourteen.
9. ↑ "Suspect Accused Of Burglary Plot: Third Warrant Issued", Racine Journal Times, October 25, 1938, front page.
10. ↑ "Notice of Application for License", Racine Journal Times, January 23, 1939, page sixteen.
11. ↑ "Notice of Application for License", Racine Journal Times, June 6, 1940, section two, page seven.
12. ↑ "Purse, reported missing...", Racine Journal Times, April 14, 1959, page four.
13. ↑ "Denied Bar License, Two Submit New Applications", Racine Journal Times, July 9, 1964, page 4A.
14. ↑ "Grant License in Tavern Hassle", Racine Journal Times, December 2, 1964, page 4A.
15. ↑ "Owners Agree to Raze 2 'Substandard' Houses", Racine Journal Times, May 18, 1965, page 4A.
16. ↑ "Racine Common Council Proceedings, June 1, 1965, Item 4", Racine Journal Times, June 4, 1965, page 6B.