A former mechanic shop in Walker’s Point has been transformed into the neighborhood’s latest event venue and cafe. Station 1846 (215 W. Bruce St.) will have its. grand opening on Aug. 1.
The venue is run in partnership with City Tours MKE, which offers tours of the city highlighting food, history and more. The new space will host meetings and private events and will also be open to the public as a cafe and bar when events aren’t booked.
Meghan Miles, founder and owner of City Tours MKE, said the idea for the venue was sparked by her work leading tours.
“People were always asking me where to grab drinks, where they can have a meeting, [buy] souvenirs on off-days where a lot of places aren’t open or using the bathroom,” Miles says. “So Station [1846] was like that natural fit.”
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The renovation took the former mechanic shop back to its the bare bones before rebuilding, which lasted about a year. The space now has a bar serving coffee, cocktails and mocktails, as well as a catering kitchen in the basement. For the new design, Miles wanted to achieve an old-school look and feel.
“When I was describing it to my interior designer, we were talking about having an old school supper club, so that my bartenders are giving those classic Wisconsin cocktails,” Miles says. “We want people to be off their phones and interact with each other, so we have couches, lounge areas and a working area if people want to come and have a new space to work for the day.”
The name comes from the year 1846, when Milwaukee was officially founded. Pricing for events in the space will be based on an hourly rate that varies depending on the night.
Miles is planning to have live music and other events through the weekend of Aug. 1 to celebrate the grand opening.
“We’re ready to rock and roll now and are now booking events,” Miles says.
