209 Dodge Street (Racine, Wisconsin)
| 209 Dodge Street | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| General information | |
| Type | Restaurant |
| Location | 209 Dodge Street Racine, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 42°44′03″N 87°46′58″W / 42.73403°N 87.78271°WCoordinates: 42°44′03″N 87°46′58″W / 42.73403°N 87.78271°W |
| Construction started | 1979[1] |
| Opened | February 1980 |
| Owner | River’s End Real Estate, LLC[1] |
209 Dodge Street is a restaurant building along the northern bank of the Root River in Racine, Wisconsin. Originally built for The Chartroom in 1979, it re-opened under new ownership in 2023 and is part of the River’s End District.
History[edit | edit source]
The Chartroom and Chartroom Charlie's (1980–2014)[edit | edit source]
The building at 209 Dodge Street was built in 1979,[1] when the owner, Richard Pugh, first proposed opening a restaurant called the Chartroom on previously vacant land next to the Pugh Marina.[2] Pugh had no previous restaurant experience, . The Chartroom's cocktail bar opened in late February 1980, followed by the restaurant and dining room in mid-March.[3] In 1983, Pugh sought to expand the restaurant by purchasing city-owned land used by the neighboring Racine County Water Safety Patrol, a proposal which was not received well by the county board of supervisors.[4] The property was formerly the site of an experimental wastewater treatment facility.[5] The following year, the city granted Pugh the use of the property for 15 years, during which time Pugh agreed to raze the existing building and beautify the nearby riverfront.[6]
An attempted armed robbery took place at the restaurant on July 14, 1991, but failed when the robbers were unable to open the safe and left.[7]
The Chartroom was renamed Chartroom Charlie's in 2007, in honor of its new manager Donna Daams' deceased father, a longtime regular at the restaurant. After Daams began working a full-time job elsewhere, she and Pugh decided to close Chartroom Charlie's at the end of 2014.[8]
Wharf 209 and Booster's Buoy (2015–2021)[edit | edit source]
Chartroom Charlie's was replaced by Wharf 209, which opened its bar in late May 2015 and its dining room on June 5. The new operators, Paul and Shannon Curtin, had previously founded the North Beach Oasis.[9] The Racine Journal Times declared Wharf 209 the "Best New Business" of 2015 in Racine County.[10] After the restaurant was the subject of repeated police reports about underage drinking and noise complaints, the Racine city council Public Safety and Licensing Committee met with Shannon Curtin in June 2016. The committee was satisfied by Curtin's efforts to stop the problem, and found that many of the police reports had not resulted in citations.[11]
In the months after the committee meeting, however, frequent reports about the restaurant continued. Keith Randolph, the owner of Boosters Sports Bars in South Milwaukee and West Allis, took control of Wharf 209 on October 1, 2016. Randolph promised the committee later that month that the problems had been eliminated and would not return in the spring when the restaurant's outdoor seating reopened.[12] Randolph renamed Wharf 209 to Booster's Buoy, fitting with his two other bars, in March 2017.[13] Booster's Buoy closed during the Covid Pandemic
Return of the Chartroom (2023)[edit | edit source]
Ken & Dan Kaiser purchased the property along with approximately 11 acres along the River Front and re-opened the Chartroom restaurant.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 209 DODGE ST, City of Racine Property Information cityofracine.org
- ↑ News briefs: License recommended", Racine Journal Times, October 24, 1979, page 2B.
- ↑ "Chartroom bar opens", Racine Journal Times, February 28, 1980, page 4E.
- ↑ Sharma-Jensen, Geeta. "County wants to buy Water Patrol site", Racine Journal Times, April 5, 1983, page 4A.
- ↑ Sharma-Jensen, Geeta. "Water patrol gets new offer", Racine Journal Times, June 4, 1983, page 3A.
- ↑ Hoske, Mark and Sean P. Devlin. "Bridge: Sewer repair delays opening 7 weeks", Racine Journal Times, October 17, 1984, page 3A.
- ↑ Hayman, Rik. "Morning robbers send Racine cook to cooler", Racine Journal Times, July 15, 1991, front page.
- ↑ Burke, Michael. "Chartroom Charlie's closes; founder looking at prospects", Racine Journal Times, February 4, 2015.
- ↑ Burke, Michael. "Wharf 209 replaces Chartroom Charlie’s", Racine Journal Times, June 5, 2015.
- ↑ Luehr, Robb. "Best New Business: Wharf 209", Racine Journal Times, September 27, 2015.
- ↑ Leary, Patrick. "Wharf 209 working to deter underage patrons", Racine Journal Times, June 29, 2016.
- ↑ Leary, Patrick. "Wharf 209 gets new ownership", Racine Journal Times, October 26, 2016.
- ↑ Lockwood, Denise. "Wharf209 Owner Changes Tavern Name To Boosters Buoy", Racine County Eye, March 20, 2017.
External links[edit | edit source]
- Booster's Buoy at OpenStreetMap