2721 Douglas Avenue (Racine, Wisconsin)
| 2721 Douglas Avenue | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Restaurant building |
| Location | 2721 Douglas Avenue Racine, Wisconsin |
| Coordinates | 42°45′13″N 87°47′54″W / 42.75366°N 87.79840°WCoordinates: 42°45′13″N 87°47′54″W / 42.75366°N 87.79840°W |
| Construction started | April 1979 |
| Opened | August 1979 |
| Owner | Eric Robinson[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Developer | Taco Bell[1] |
2721 Douglas Avenue is a restaurant building on the southeast corner of Durand Avenue and William Street in Racine, Wisconsin. As early as 1937, the corner was the site of an automobile service station. The current building was constructed in 1979 for Taco Bell #1714, which closed in 1994. It housed Caesar's Frozen Custard from 1996 to about 2005, and again from 2010 to 2016. Since 2018, it has been home to Dogs & Cream.
History[edit | edit source]
Service station[edit | edit source]
2721 Douglas Avenue was the site of a gasoline filling and service station operated by the Racine Consumers Co-operative as early as 1937.[2] Mueller's Service Station was operated at the location as early as 1950,[3] and continued to operate as late as 1976.[4]
Taco Bell #1714 (1979–1994)[edit | edit source]
Real estate developer Richard R. Monfeli purchased the service station building from Rudolph J. Mueller, and the neighboring house at 2715 Douglas Avenue, on August 18, 1978.[1] After briefly offering it for sale to the Open Pantry convenience store chain in February 1979, he sold the combined property to Taco Bell on April 18.[1] Construction started on the new restaurant building the following week. Taco Bell #1714, the second Taco Bell restaurant in Racine, opened in August.[5]
In 1992, the Racine Journal Times reported that nearby residents were frequently complaining about late-night noise and loitering at the restaurant, with some nicknaming it "taco hell".[6] The restaurant closed in October 1994, when it was replaced by Taco Bell #31987 less than a mile to the north.[7]
Caesar's Frozen Custard (1996–2016)[edit | edit source]
On November 6, 1995, the building was sold to William and Susan Seeger,[1] owners of the Caesar's Frozen Custard stand at 2815 Durand Avenue. On November 1, the Seegers leased the existing Caesar's to Tim Zold, as they focused on turning the Douglas Avenue building into their second Caesar's location.[8] The Douglas Avenue Caesar's opened in early March 1996.[9] About a decade later, both locations closed.
The building was sold to another operator under contract, with a balloon payment due on October 1, 2009, but the contract was canceled shortly before the payment was due. Robert Seeger, the son of the founders, purchased the building back in November, and Caesar's reopened on March 3, 2010.[10] The restaurant permanently closed in 2016.[11]
Dogs & Cream (2018–present)[edit | edit source]
On April 23, 2018,[1] the building was purchased by Eric Robinson, partnering with his wife Maggie and her sister Perla Cabrera. The Robinsons had previously operated a restaurant called Dogs & Cream at 10351 Washington Avenue in Sturtevant, which opened in October 2010[12] and closed after a year and a half of operation.[11] Cabrera and the Robinsons converted the building into a new Dogs & Cream restaurant, which opened on July 16, 2018.[13]
The operators of Dogs & Cream have since created a second Racine restaurant called Burgers, Custard & More, located at 3810 Durand Avenue, which opened in October 2020.[14]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Property Information: "2721 DOUGLAS AVE", cityofracine.org
- ↑ Item 7, Common Council Official Proceedings, January 5, 1937. Via Racine Journal Times, January 9, 1937, page 10.
- ↑ Classified advertisement, Racine Journal Times, August 21, 1950, page 20.
- ↑ "Police beat: Armed robbery", Racine Journal Times, June 4, 1976, page 3A.
- ↑ "2nd Taco Bell being built", Racine Journal Times, April 24, 1979, page 5E.
- ↑ Buttweiler, Joe. "Hot topic", Racine Journal Times, July 19, 1992.
- ↑ "Double-take at Douglas Taco Bells", Racine Journal Times, October 23, 1994.
- ↑ Sumner Coon, Laura. "Biz Bits: Frijoles to frozen custard", Racine Journal Times, December 3, 1995, page 8B.
- ↑ Advertisement, Racine Journal Times, March 4, 1996, page 3D.
- ↑ Burke, Michael. "Son of founders reopens Caesar's Custard shop", Racine Journal Times, March 5, 2010.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Burke, Michael. "Couple to bring back Dogs & Cream eatery", Racine Journal Times, May 9, 2018.
- ↑ Burke, Michael. "Fast-food industry veterans create new Dogs & Cream", Racine Journal Times, September 3, 2010.
- ↑ Burke, Megan. "Dogs & Cream opens on Douglas Avenue", Racine Journal Times, July 16, 2018.
- ↑ Johnson, Eric. "Burgers, Custard & More makes its debut: Fast-and-fresh concept restaurant opens on Durand Avenue", Racine Journal Times, November 1, 2020.
