Serb Hall, a Milwaukee institution, is up for sale
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee institution, Serb Hall is up for sale -- another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From its fish fry to weddings, it has served the community for decades.
The hall itself is owned by St. Sava Serbian Orthodox Church, built in 1950 as a memorial to Serbian-American soldiers who served and to support the building of the nearby cathedral.
Seven years later, Dick Sincere and Joanne Michalak celebrated their wedding at the hall with food, music and lots of dancing.
Dick Sincere and Joanne Michalak wedding at Serb Hall
Serb Hall became a must-stop spot on politicians' campaign trails -- from local politicians to presidents including Eisenhower, Kennedy, Reagan and Clinton.
"It just doesn’t seem like reality," said Milwaukee Alderman Mark Borkowski.
Before Joe Czarnezki was a Milwaukee County supervisor, he served in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate for more than a decade. His fundraiser and birthday party in 1987 was one of the first events at a newly-renovated Serb Hall.
"Ever since it opened in 1950, Serb Hall has been a Milwaukee icon. and a ‘must’ stop for politicians at the state, local and federal levels," said Joe Czarnezki, Milwaukee County Supervisor.
Serb Hall was in the news this past November after the announcement of then-President Donald Trump's election loss.
When Nick Alioto, manager at the time, asked hundreds of Trump's supporters to leave due to violations of COVID-19 health orders, a microphone was torn from his hands and he was shoved to the ground.
Alioto died suddenly several weeks later from heart disease.
Serb Hall fish fry
Its Friday fish fry slung thousands of pounds of fish, fries and slaw inside and out.
Now, the doors are closed to the nearly 50,000 square-foot place with banquet rooms and a 12-lane bowling alley is listed at $2 million. The building is up for sale or lease, depending on the plans.
St. Sava said smaller weddings, little interest in bowling and the pandemic provided a push to put the property up for sale.
"I realize that this virus, and life and everything, things like this happen," Borkowski said. "I want to believe when one door closes, another opens, right?"
Serb Hall
While its future is uncertain, what is certain is there are hundreds -- if not thousands -- who have fond memories and journeys through life that started at Serb Hall.
The Friday fish fry will continue as drive-thru only.
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Statement from St. Sava:
The Hall was built by our visionary forefathers in 1950 as a source of revenue to fund the construction of our beautiful cathedral. The Hall performed magnificently for many years, and perfectly fulfilled its role. It specialized in very large events, including banquets, wedding receptions, union meetings and other type of gatherings. It was a bowling hot spot, too, and an important rally site and whistle stop for many presidential candidates.
Today, weddings are smaller, unions are smaller and no longer require these large venues, and bowling has all but disappeared. The pandemic added a heavy burden to operations, eliminating much of our business. Like with everything else in life, change is constant and we now have an opportunity to do something different with the land and building.
It’s very important to us that the new role of the building and property is compatible with being a good neighbor to our church. It must be an appropriate use going forward. The options include lease, development or repurpose, or a sale. If we receive an attractive offer, we will gather the congregation in a special assembly to get approval.
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