5917 39th Avenue (Kenosha, Wisconsin)

5917 39th Avenue
General information
Type	Retail building
Location	5917 39th Avenue Kenosha, Wisconsin
Coordinates	42.58152°N 87.8551°W / 42.58152; -87.8551
Opened	May 5, 1966
Design and construction
Developer	Red Barn System, Inc.

5917 39th Avenue is a restaurant building on 39th Avenue in Kenosha, Wisconsin. The barn-like building, formerly known as 5915 39th Avenue was originally constructed for a location in the Red Barn chain of farm-themed restaurants, which opened in 1966. After Red Barn's closure in 1981, the building housed a series of short-lived restaurants over the course of the next three decades. Since 2012, the building has been home to Super Mercado Nuevo Centro, a Hispanic supermarket.

History

Red Barn #625 (1966–1981)

In April 1965, it was announced that the first Red Barn restaurant in Wisconsin would be built at 39th Avenue and 60th Street, originally intended to open on July 15 of that year. Red Barn restaurant #625 opened on May 5, 1966. The restaurant was franchised by Eugene Spolar, who opened a second Red Barn franchise at 3810 Durand Avenue in Racine in 1968. The restaurant closed in 1981.

1982–2008

A new restaurant, Ramiro's Authentic Mexican Food, opened in the building in January 1982. By July 1983, the building was being completely remodeled, and in December of that year, Ki's Family Restaurant and Pancake House opened in it. Ki's was short-lived, and by 1986, the building had also been occupied by an unsuccessful fish restaurant called River's Edge. On October 27, 1985, a waitress at River's Edge suffered a fall that allegedly caused serious injuries with lasting complications, and she sued the former manager of the restaurant in 1988.

In 1986, the Kenosha News commented that despite the building's seemingly visible location at a busy intersection, it had developed a reputation for short-lived restaurants. That year, Ahmet Nafi Deroglu opened Kopper Kitchen, which closed in 1990. Blue Orchid Family Restaurant opened in February 1991 and closed in 1995.

Galaxy Family Restaurant opened on November 20, 1995. Pierogi's, a restaurant specializing in casual central European cuisine, opened in September 1998. In 2004, the building was home to Delfield Deli and 3 Sisters Catering.

2008–present

In 2008, the building was home to My Sister's Cafe, and early that year the cafe added a nightclub, the B & S Lounge, in the back of the building. Early in the morning on May 31, 2008, an argument that started inside the cafe escalated into a fatal shooting that took place in front of the building. Marlene Frederick, the owner of the cafe and nightclub, altered the establishment to become the Extravaganza Grill, which opened on June 14. However, the city of Kenosha scheduled hearings on revoking Frederick's liquor license, and in August Frederick voluntarily surrendered her license and closed the restaurant. City officials had expressed concerns about the B & S Lounge for months before the murder, and the incident inspired a city ordinance that allows for immediate temporary suspensions of cabaret licenses.

On December 15, 2009, Big Scotty's BBQ Pit opened in the building. The restaurant closed in February 2011. At the end of 2011, a Hispanic-oriented grocery store was preparing to open in the building.