405 North Dubuque Street History

If these walls could talk!

From a Honky-Tonk Roadhouse & Bootleggers to Restaurant & Prime Rib

This building was more of a seasoned veteran than a Rookie!

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.

Ma Shannonʼs – It was initially built in the 1930s and was a small bar and bootleg operation that was later expanded into the existing building. From the slot machines in the back to the alcohol sold, it was an interesting place.

Shannon’s – Shortly after, it became Shannonʼs for a number of years and was run by a couple of fellas named Vic Schemmel and Max McDanial.

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

Red Garter– Around the late 1960ʼs Dale Dahnke and his wife bought the building and remodeled it into a supper club. It was quite fancy and classy, highlighted by the bright red flocked wallpaper. They were the first to offer a salad bar and it became an instant hit. Copied soon after by other supper clubs in the area. They also had a nice piano bar in the basement where local musicians often played. Dahnke also owned The Lark in Tiffin. Another club a block away, was was the famous Lighthouse, owned by Bill and Barb Sherlock. Both places were very busy before and after Hawkeye sporting events. Back in the day a good supper club cook was most important and many managers tried to hire them away from each other. There were many other supper clubs in the area as they were quite popular.

Winnerʼs Circle – Around 1970 this became an after hours, members only gambling joint for a few years. The highlight of this place was the life sized fiberglass black horse in the entry way. quite startling, as one walked in the front door. The horse carried over to the next owner.

Hitching Post – Through the 1980ʼs into the 1990ʼs it was remodeled again and was a popular sports bar ran by Pam Hanrahan and her brothers Mike and Tim. Pamʼs mother Mary was the cook. More of a bar than restaurant, it became a fun local hangout. There were many ball fields in the area and the Hitching Post was the plae to be after games. And they did serve great food.

Pameron – A few others tried their hand here, including a couple from Cedar Rapids. I believe it was once called the Liberty Lounge.

Haunted House – In the 80’s when it was vacant, the Jaycees used it for their haunted house. Lots of laughs and memories were made here.

Rookies – 1996-2008 Two young men totally remodeled again, including opening it up and installing the nice big windows and a party room. The owner Larry and his partner Mick, did everything from cutting the steaks, ordering the beer and booze to mowing the lawn and planting the flowers. In 2008 Larry turned it over to his manager Ben who wanted to try making it into a simpler place that just sold pizza and pasta. For many reasons E.B. Taylers closed in the late summer of 2008.

In the fall of 2008 the building was purchased by Matt and Faye Swift and another fabulous remodel was started and another chapter was added to this grand old building.

Redʼs Alehouse opened for business in February 2009!

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.