The building
A hardware store, now Oak Barrel
John Pritzlaff built the 1861 building at 1033 Old World Third Street, now Oak Barrel.
Photo: Cream City Concepts.
Oak Barrel Public House at 1033, from the January 2026 shoot.
Photo: Cream City Concepts.
Updated
About this building
This Cream City brick building was first the Pritzlaff Hardware Company. Today it holds Oak Barrel Public House and the 3rd Street Retreat short‑term rentals.
Oak Barrel Public House is at 1033 Old World Third Street.
Built for a hardware merchant
The National Register nomination says John Pritzlaff replaced his first frame store in 1861 with the Italianate block that stands today. The first three floors went up then. The fourth floor was added about 1890.
The state record lists the architect as L E Schmidtner. The 1987 nomination says the architects are unknown. We cannot settle that, so we name neither as the final word.
The facade is Cream City brick with round arches and limestone trim. The state record notes the original upper floors and cornice. The storefront is modern.
The building over time
1850
Pritzlaff opens a hardware store
John Pritzlaff opened his own hardware store on Third Street. His first building was a two‑story frame structure with a front gable. Source: National Register nomination.
1861
The first three floors go up
Pritzlaff replaced the frame store with the Italianate commercial block at 1033. It rose three stories, in Cream City brick. Source: National Register nomination.
1874
Wholesale moves out
Pritzlaff built a larger building elsewhere. The nomination says he kept this one for his Wisconsin Wood Preserving Company. The state record says the hardware interest here passed to Hilgendorf, Kolloge & Co. Source: National Register nomination and the state record.
About 1890
A fourth floor is added
The nomination dates the fourth floor to about 1890. The state record says 1893. It repeated the round‑arched windows of the lower floors. Source: National Register nomination and the state record.
1987
District joins the National Register
The Old World Third Street Historic District was added to the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 1987. The building is part of it. Source: Wisconsin Historical Society record.
2015
Giovanni's opens
An Italian restaurant, Giovanni's, began operating in the building in October 2015. A comedy club sat on the second level. Source: BizTimes Milwaukee.
2017
Bobby Wiltgen buys the building
Bobby Wiltgen, owner of Who's on Third, bought the Giovanni's building in November 2017 and planned to renovate the entire space. Source: BizTimes Milwaukee.
2018
Oak Barrel opens
Oak Barrel Public House opened on a Friday in February 2018. Its name nods to the building's 1800s hardware store, where beer was stored in oak barrels. Source: BizTimes Milwaukee.
The building today
Two businesses share one old address.
Oak Barrel Public House
Street level. A downtown Milwaukee bar and restaurant, steps from Fiserv Forum and the Baird Center. See Oak Barrel.
3rd Street Retreat
Upstairs. Short‑term rentals with exposed Cream City brick, updated kitchens and baths, and room for groups, sleeping 12 to 16 each. See the rentals.
The street
Old World Third Street in downtown Milwaukee, steps from Fiserv Forum. See the photo below.
“This is the last remaining portion of the original German retail district in the Kilbourntown plat of Milwaukee.”
Where these facts come from
National Park Service 1 fact
Wisconsin Historical Society 2 facts
Wikipedia 1 fact
BizTimes Milwaukee 2 facts
Oak Barrel Public House 1 fact
More Milwaukee guides
Old World Third Street
The street and its German roots.
Stay or dine in the building
Text us the date and how many are coming. We line up the rest.