The abandoned property at the corner of 17th and Oregon was purchased at sheriff's sale by Chris and Linda Morth in April 2024. Since then, they and their son Brett have been restoring the historic tavern to its former glory. They’re almost done. Witzke’s will reopen this coming weekend. It’s the most significant revitalization of a commercial property in Oshkosh in years.
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| Chris Morth (left) and his son Brett Morth |
Witzke’s Bar had a 146 year history when it closed in 2019. The building was left for dead. The neglect had been piling up for a decade before Chris and Linda Morth got their first look at it. “The place was destroyed,” says Chris Morth. “It was even worse than we thought it would be. There was so much damage and rot. Floor to ceiling. But my wife was like, ‘We gotta do this.’”
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| April 2024, inside Witzke’s. |
The repair couldn’t begin until the building had been purged of its internal damage. “We went to city hall to get the permit, and they thought I was going to tear the whole thing down,” Chris says. “I guess there had been so many rumors about it being demolished that everyone just assumed it was going to happen.”
What did happen was a wall-to-wall rebuild. “We took it right down to the studs,” Chris says. “We put in a new floor and part of the roof and had electrical and plumbing and gas lines replaced. The whole thing.”
Yet for all the repair, the remodeled Witzke’s retains its historical visage. “The tin ceiling was a tough one,” Chris says. ”My wife and I kind of went around and around on that. It wasn’t cheap, but we thought it was important, so we went ahead and did it.”
The barroom has a clean, contemporary feel that complements the vintage bar and backbar. Those pieces are as historically significant as the building itself. They were produced by the Robert Brand and Sons Company of Oshkosh and were probably installed in 1901 by the Oshkosh Brewing Company. At that time, the brewery owned the property and was engaged in a remodeling comparable in scope to the current work of the Morth family.
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| March 2026. |
The history is extensive, but Witzke’s is not a museum. Brett Morth is running the bar and kitchen. “We want this to be a place where anyone can walk in and feel comfortable,” he says. “We’ll have table seating and we’re serving pizzas, and wings, smash burgers, that kind of thing. Families are welcome to come in with their kids. We want that neighborhood tavern, sports-bar feel.”
Brett worked in the bar and restaurant industry before leaving the area for a corporate job that had him travelling much of the year. The Witzke's project has been a chance for the family to reunite. “We moved back in July of ‘24. It’s been a lot of work, but it’s great being back. Now it’s coming together. We can’t wait for people to come in and see what we’ve done."
To keep up to date with Witzke's, check out their Facebook page.
I covered Witzke's earlier history in a series of three posts published in 2023.
Part 1: The Garden Where Witzke's Grew
Part 2: Witzke’s Wild Years
Part 3: The Unmaking of Witzke’s
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