Kegel's Inn
5901 W National Ave
West Allis, WI 53214
(414) 257-9999 | kegelsinn.com
Kegel’s Inn has been honored as one of 25 historic small restaurants in the United States. The National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express designated the restaurants as historically and culturally significant.
Each restaurant will receive $40,000 through the “Backing Historic Small Restaurants” Grant Program. Funded by American Express and administered by the National Trust, the grant will help “enhance restaurant exteriors, build new outdoor seating areas, and upgrade online business to help mitigate operating costs as they work to recover from the financial impacts of the pandemic.”
This is good news for Kegel’s Inn, which has been serving traditional German food at the same location since 1924. The restaurant was established by John T. Kegel and his wife Anna Bevc and is still operated by the Kegel family today.
A Soft Drink Parlor
Born in Austria in 1892, John T. Kegel immigrated to the United States in 1911. He married Anna in 1915 and in 1918 they moved to West Allis. After working at various jobs, John was ready to start his own business. He hired contractor Roy Nordstrom to build the original structure on National Avenue. John and Anna established Kegel’s Place in December 1924 as a soft drink parlor. Similar to other soft drink parlors during Prohibition the Kegel family brewed beer in the basement and surreptitiously brought in other liquor.
Figure 1: Pictured: John Kegel Open for Business in His “Soda Pop Parlor” | Source: Kegel’s Restaurant
Things went smoothly for a time as most of the neighborhood population was German and Kegel’s fit well into the local drinking culture. Plus, the beautiful leaded stained glass windows provided some concealment of the interior space.
Figure 2. Anna Kegel’s Arrest for Liquor Possession
But the good times were over when, on May 1, 1927, state agent J. Rupnik apprehended Anna Kegel for possession of non-intoxicating liquor (figure 2). With both luck and a good attorney, Kegel’s Inn was spared the fate of being shut down as so many other soft drink parlors had been. Interestingly, in the following year, Wisconsin ended its official enforcement of Prohibition, five years earlier than the Federal annulment of Prohibition.
Expansion and A New Name
Shortly before Prohibition was officially repealed in April 1933, the Kegel family took over the west half of the building and significantly renovated it, including an addition to the south. Described as the “largest tavern built since the return of beer,” the renovation was done by Milwaukee architect Mark Pfaller/ Pfaller Architectural Associates, Inc., the oldest continually operating family-owned architecture/engineering firm in Wisconsin.
German interior design artist Peter Gries hand-painted all the murals inside the restaurant. The exterior was designed in English-inspired Tudor Revival style with a Lannon stone veneer. The construction took a little over a year. The restaurant reopened on August 26, 1933, renamed “Kegel’s Inn.”
Figure 3. Murals behind the Bar by Peter Gries | Source: Kegel’s Restaurant
Historic Past, Strong Future
Kegel’s Inn was listed on both the State and National Registers of Historic Places in 2010. After nearly a century and many ups and downs along the way – including the COVID-19 pandemic – Kegel’s is going strong, retaining its original building, Gries’ delightful murals, and the famous German food and beer - including its popular Friday Fish Fry and outdoor Beer Garden. Kegel’s Inn is most deserving of its historic accolades.
Figure 4. Exterior of Kegel’s Inn after renovation
Source: Kegel’s Restaurant
Figure 5. Present Façade of Kegel’s Inn
Source: Wisconsin Historical Society
Learn more about Kegel’s Inn
American Express and the National Trust for Historic Preservation Announce the 25 recipients of the “Backing Historic Small Restaurants” $1+ Million Grant Program. Reference page
Wisconsin Historical Society, Architecture and History Inventory. Reference page
A Rich & Storied Past - Kegel's Inn. Homepage