‘We have a book club, a Euchre league, a cribbage league, and, of course, bowling.’

Holler House is a historic bar in Milwaukee, best known for having the country’s oldest sanctioned bowling lanes in its basement. The 117-year-old lanes still host five bowling leagues today, all while using manual pinsetters. Cathy Haefke and her husband, Tom, currently own Holler House with their family. Cathy represents the third of five generations to call the place home. The bowling alley and bar is known nationwide by bowlers and celebrities, including Jack White, Larry the Cable Guy, Cypress Hill, Joe Walsh and Paul Reubens, despite Holler House never advertising in its 117 years.

Zack O’Hara: Why did you decide to participate in Doors Open Milwaukee?

Cathy Haefke: It’s a wonderful event throughout the city. One hundred sixty sites are open this year, and we’re a big part of Milwaukee. We’ve been here for 117 years, and people love coming here. This is a very old-school tavern, family-owned, and the city embraces us — and we embrace the city. You don’t find places like this. We like to share it with everyone, and they love it. People book parties here, and some buy T-shirts and merchandise, so it’s an extension of our family.

Zack O’Hara: What do you want people who are seeing Holler House for the first time to take away from a place like this?

Cathy Haefke: They embrace our family, and they love that it’s like a buried treasure. It’s like a little museum. It’s our home, and we like to open it up to everyone.

Zack O’Hara: What does this place mean as a representation of your family’s history?

Cathy Haefke: Oh my God, it means everything because I don’t know life without it — and my kids don’t either. Some days you think, “We should sell,” but truly, when it’s sold, that’s final. It’s a part of them, and they know it’s always here. It’s an extension of their home. It’s more of an emotional thing for us.

Zack O’Hara: What does Holler House mean for the surrounding neighborhood?

Cathy Haefke: We get along with everybody. We have no troubles at all. Forest Home Cemetery is across the street, which is an extension of the community. They have yoga there, marathons, and tours. My husband leads a tour of Forest Home Avenue for the cemetery. It’s like a little community, and people love it here.

Zack O’Hara: Do you ever find it hard to find the balance between originality and breathing new life into this place?

Cathy Haefke: No, not at all. We’ve been here 117 years, and we don’t know how we ended up being here 117 years — because when my father passed, we thought, “Now we have to sell the bar.” That was over 30 years ago. Then, when my mom passed six years ago, we thought, “We’re going to have to sell.” No, and it keeps going. To tell you the truth, it keeps getting better and better in all different ways. Some people say, “It’s not the same.” It isn’t the same, but nothing is. You learn to adapt, to change. The bar is doing very well. We meet great people — new people. We still have all our regulars and friends who embrace this place and enjoy coming here. We have a book club, a Euchre league, a cribbage league, and, of course, bowling. We meet a lot of people, and everybody says, “This is a treasure. You can never close this place.”

Zack O’Hara: Where do you see Holler House going in the future?

Cathy Haefke: I have no idea what tomorrow brings. I really don’t. People ask me that every day. We’ll just have to see—one step at a time. We’re not going anywhere today.