1323 Lakeside, 1324 Sherman - Two Different Worlds

The Eagles' Nest, The Women of the Rathskeller Inn

1324 Sherman - 1323 Lakeside

CHAPTER 9

When I look at pictures of the Rathskeller’s early building, the business that would eventually turn the world on its head, I feel like I am looking at a sweet young relative full of hope before the world moved in and stole their innocence. The Rathskeller was more than a building or a business for the family, especially my mother, Jackie. It felt like a living, breathing being, with its own strong heartbeat and determination to survive. It felt like her.

But the building was, after all, only a small space, gutted and waiting for someone to move in. It would take the imagination of my family to bring it to life. I wonder what might have happened had it remained just a little pizza-selling, beer-serving tavern where locals came and hung out. Of course, a small business even then might have been hard pressed to support three families, even though the cost of living was considerably lower than it is now. But that was not the destiny of our family or the Rathskeller. It did not remain small; it grew and grew, reimagining itself multiple times over the years. I watched it grow up, and I grew up with it.

Before it was a tavern where thousands would visit, it was only a malt shop. Our changing life circumstances seemed to have found some balance for a few months in the Spring and Summer of 1961. Once the malt shop opened, on warm summer days, my best friend and I would visit mom at The Huddle and beg for something to do. In truth, we probably pestered her more often for a soda or an ice cream. One day, in an attempt to keep us busy and out of her hair, she gave us the job of taking the wrappers off of straws. The teenagers kept blowing them off onto the floor, and she was tired of crawling under booths to pick them up.

We quickly tired of the job and turned it into a competition. Tearing off the top of the paper wrappers, we blew the remainder of the covers toward the trash can target. It was great fun, and we giggled as we placed each naked straw back into the storage box. Unsuspecting customers had no idea our spit came with their sodas! I don't remember, but hopefully, a bowl of ice cream awaited us as payment for our hard work.

This time of peace and fun lasted but a few months.

Once the Huddle closed and the Rathskeller opened, the magic of such small, innocent moments disappeared. We began living two different lives: the sometimes terror at 1323 Lakeside and the pure joy rising at 1324 Sherman. The innocent place where teenagers hung out with no money to spend was replaced by young adults with money who came together and paid for beer and pizza.

With a promise for a new tomorrow, the tavern was more than a place to drink beer. It was a playground, sprinkled with a few tables that included a small stand-up bar lined with stools, black Steins with golden images and names of customers scrolled across the top. There was a jukebox filled with popular music and a shuffleboard. The bitty dance floor provided a space to go cheek-to-cheek with your partner. And you could become a card-carrying member of the Rat Club.

I mean, what more could one ask for?

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Photo by Scott Collin on Unsplash

There were numerous logistics to work out at the beginning. Leases needed to be negotiated and signed for the commercial building. The final sale of the house at 1323 Lakeside needed to be signed. Necessary construction on the commercial property and the home must also be completed. A wedding was planned for Lolly and Norm. And Jackie and the girls lived on a shoestring budget when The Huddle opened its doors. Day-to-day expenses were a struggle to meet, cupboards were bare, and Jackie was alone, trying to manage life as a single mother and new business owner.

The defunct 1000-square-foot dry cleaners at 1324 Sherman Avenue was retrofitted into a restaurant. While it had plumbing, a working kitchen, and a fountain to dispense sodas would be required. A portion of the building was blocked for a walk-in refrigerator and freezer. Shelves were built for storing dry goods. A small office was partitioned off at the end of the storage area. The Huddle was stocked with other necessary items: dishes, tall soda glasses, small cups for ice cream sundaes, napkins, straws, and all the other miscellaneous accoutrements needed to serve customers. A grill and a deep fryer were placed in the kitchen. Public restrooms were added and tiled. It was no small task to manage, let alone pay for.

The house at 1323 Lakeside, directly behind the Rathskeller and across the alley, needed to be painted, the elevator needed to be dismantled and turned into storage closets for each floor. The former infirmary had provided the community with an in-house care facility for the elderly and those nearing the end of their lives. Now closed, this large, multiple-room structure was to be remodeled for the three families occupying it. The family pooled their resources to buy the house.

Lolly, her daughter, and her husband, Norm, would arrive soon thereafter. Within a year, Ann would join them. Before cohabitation, Jackie and the girls lived in a small cottage across the lawn from the main house, which had been used by the in-house physician who oversaw patients. Over time, the cottage became a rental property, providing additional income for the three families. The eccentric guy who rented it was a naturalist and preferred nudity. It would not be uncommon for him to answer his door in his birthday suit. The kids were told to steer clear, a dictum they found easy to follow.