Holler House
Holler House is a tavern that houses the oldest sanctioned tenpin bowling alley in the United States. Holler House was opened in the Lincoln Village neighborhood of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, in 1908. The 100th anniversary party was held on Saturday, September 14, 2008. "Esquire" has rated Holler House one of the best bars in America. History. Holler House was founded on September 13, 1908, by "Iron Mike" Skoronski as Skowronski's. His son, Gene, married Marcy in 1952 and they renamed it "Gene and Marcy's". After Gene died in 1990, Marcy Skowronski ran the tavern until her death  in December 2019. Her family continues the business. Tradition. Starting in the mid-twentieth century, Holler House began a tradition that has since accumulated nearly 1,000 bras. This tradition started when the owner Marcy Skowronski was drinking with her friends, after which they started taking their clothes off. This has now grown into a tradition in which women autograph and hang their bras from various fixtures in the tavern on their first visit. When the bras started fraying, Skowronski boxed up most of them to make room for new ones to be displayed. 100th anniversary. In preparation for its 100th  anniversary, Holler House received its first thorough cleaning in 40 years. During this cleaning, five two-hole 15-pound wooden bowling balls were found. Same appearance as one century ago. Holler House still looks much the same as it did a century ago. The lanes are made of real wood that was laid over a century ago, not the synthetic wood found in modern bowling alleys. It still has a manual pin-spotting mechanism on each lane, that pin boys return the bowlers' balls by rolling them down a traditional "overlane" return-track between the two lanes. Scores from bowling  games are documented from paper hanging on the wall. Memorabilia and the beer sold. Memorabilia dating back to as early as 1912 is displayed. Prices in the early days were 25 cents for a hot beef sandwich and 25 cents plus deposit for a half-gallon of beer. During Prohibition, liquor was stored under a baby's crib on the assumption the police would not look there. There are no chairs in the bowling alley. Reflecting the ethnic background of the neighborhood, there are Polish eagle crests above the bowling lanes. Holler House sells only bottled beer, with the exception  of Schlitz in a can. There is nothing on tap.