City Spirits: Kroll’s West Part III

Continued from previous edition

After the sale of the Preble business to Isabel Kroll Schauer and Dick Schauer in 1945, Caroline took over management of the Labor Temple Grill at 508 Main Street.

She ran that location until 1956, with Harry’s brother, Nick, running the adjacent bar.

In April and May of 1957, the Labor Temple ran ads to find help, and in July 1957, the property was listed for sale “due to illness.”

That ad was likely prompted by Nick’s failing health, as he passed away in on Aug. 5, 1960, “after a long illness.”

Pauline Woitula took over operations of the Labor Temple Bar and Grill.

In 1960, Harry and Caroline obtained a liquor license for a new building at 509 Main Street and opened Kroll’s Downtown Bar-B-Q.

They ran that location until 1973, when that building was razed for development — the Gregby redevelopment plan for an area running from the Fox River to Monroe Street, from Cedar Street to a half block south of Main Street.

Then, the Krolls needed to make a decision on what they would do next — find a new location or retire.

“Harry and I were split on that,” Caroline told the Press-Gazette’s Don Langenkamp while marking 50 years in business in 1981. “He wanted to retire, and I wanted to keep going. As it turned out, I was right. It was hard to leave that place downtown. But, everyone said we should have a Kroll’s on the west side… “

In October 1973, Caroline Kroll was granted a non-residential building permit for a new structure at 1990 S. Ridge Road.

The next spring, she was granted a liquor license for that location.

In 1974, the contents of Kroll’s Bar-B-Q were auctioned off, and Kroll’s West opened its doors adjacent to Lambeau Field.

Harry died two years later, but Caroline continued to run the location, eventually marking 50 years in business.

It was later purchased by the Kroll’s daughter, Pat Vander Perren, and Mike and Bobbie Wier — Bobbie is Harry and Caroline’s granddaughter.

Caroline passed away in 2007.

Mike and Bobbie continue the Kroll’s tradition today.