At Bowen and Otter

The former tavern at the southwest corner of Bowen and Otter was one of the oldest in Oshkosh when it closed in 2019. The first saloon there opened in about 1887. Here's a shot of it from the early 1900s.

The man in the doorway may be Albert Polzin, who ran that saloon from about 1899 until 1910. Polzin was a German immigrant who had worked at Kuenzl’s Gambrinus Brewery on Harney Avenue before becoming a saloon keeper. The signs near the doorway advertise Oshkosh Beer from the Oshkosh Brewing Company.

After Prohibition, the tavern became Tony’s DeLux with former cigar-maker Anton Lux the proprietor. His son, Victor Lux took over in the 1940s and ran it until he retired in 1990.

1974

Last summer, the tavern’s liquor license was revoked for inactivity. The building is now up for sale.