Reds Alehouse History

History –

We’ve come a long way since opening our doors back in 2009. North Liberty welcomed us with open arms and we hit the ground running. We are proud of our continued participation in the community, our 60+ employees, many awards, and our commitment to friendly service and excellent food. We take pride in being your “Neighborhood Spot”.

Our history is important to us and we want to share a little of it here with you. This is a work in progress and we’ll continue to add to and refine as we go. Thanks for checking it out and we hope you’ll stop back and learn more from time to time. 

The building that is Red’s Alehouse has a  rich history.

It was initially built in the 1930s. The building was first known as Ma Shannon’s, a small bar and bootleg operation, crazy, right?

Shortly after, it became Shannons and was owned by two fellas. Not too long after, they decided to go on other ventures.

It then became Charlie’s Pizza for some time. After a while, Charlie’s Pizza decided to sell the building.

The building got its’ first facelift when it became the Red Garter, known for being a fancy supper club in the 1960’s. They actually used the basement for a piano club where many famous musicians often played.

Fast forward 10 years later, it became Winner’s Circle which was a member-only gambling joint.

In the 1980s, the building became known as The Hitching Post. The Hitching Post was a sports bar that became a popular local hangout.

Many were sad to see The Hitching Post go, but it then became Pameron. We believe it was also called the Liberty Lounge at one point.

In 1996 it became known as Rookies, and it got another facelift; the owners installed new windows and added a party room.

In 2008 Rookies decided to relocate, and that is when Matt and Faye Swift purchased the building and adapted it to be what we all know and love as Reds Alehouse.

There is so much deep history behind the building- if only walls could talk. We would love if you would share any memories from the past companies that have been in the building or even memories from Reds.