'It's sad': Butch's Bar fire creates a loss to Sturgeon Bay history, the music scene and community

STURGEON BAY – Butch's Bar meant different things to different people in the community.

For some, it carried the reputation, deserved or not, of a tough, stereotypical, old-school downtown tavern they wouldn't be caught in.

But for others, the grayish-cream, stone-covered building at South Third Avenue and Nebraska Street was a link to the city's past, thanks to an exterior largely unchanged in its 117 years.

For many, Butch's was a focal point of Sturgeon Bay's live music scene in recent years.

And for others, it was a place where they could find affordable shelter they couldn't find elsewhere.

Now, the building and all those facets are gone after a Feb. 22 inferno that destroyed Butch's and killed two people who were tenants in its upstairs apartments, with another tenant hospitalized. Anthony Gonzalez, a 57-year-old man who also was a tenant at Butch's, has been accused of starting the fire accidentally and is facing eight charges related to it, including two for second-degree reckless homicide. A benefit concert is being held March 16 for victims of the fire — a Wednesday night, the same night and time as the weekly open mic jams that Butch's hosted for more than seven years until the blaze.

And while the dollar loss is huge — not just the building and bar equipment but also all the sound and musical equipment kept on site and the belongings of the displaced residents — so, too, is the loss of something with the history it had in the community.

History of Butch's Bar began in 1904

Steven Rice, manager of the Door County Historical Museum and Door County Archives, said the appearance of the building seems to have remained almost the same as it was when it was built in late 1904, aside from the beer signs hung over the entrances during its years as Butch's.

That original aura added to its appeal as a structure of historic significance in Sturgeon Bay, where most of Third Avenue downtown is recognized as a Historic District by the National and State Registers of Historic Places.

"There's widespread feeling and acknowledgment of a building that's that old and historic," Rice said. "We're blessed to have a largely intact, historic Third Avenue in Sturgeon Bay, and (Butch's) had definitely been altered less than most."

According to news clips and artifacts from the museum and archives, the building that housed Butch's was built by Abner Calhoon in 1904 and opened within months by Capt. James Brooks of Goodrich Transportation Co. as the Goodrich Hotel. It was built on the site of the former Tremont Hotel, which burned to the ground, and Rice said the archives have records of buildings on the lot dating to 1854.

"The building is constructed of concrete and stone blocks, and presents a fine appearance," said a caption to a photo supplied by Rice announcing the completion of the then-new building in the Dec. 3, 1904, edition of the Advocate.

"The interior is finished in Norway pine, natural finish, and all flooring is of the best maple. The walls are tastefully tinted with alabastine ... The hotel will be heated by steam and lighted by electricity and is thoroughly modern in every respect."

The hotel ran under various operators from 1905 to '13, then apparently went dormant until the Twenty Club, which Rice described as "kind of a fraternal organization for men," took over the building in 1919.

"It was started by 20 local men around 1905 or '06. By 1919, they had expanded membership to where they needed a facility," Rice said. "It was kind of a Golden Age for fraternal organizations."

The building remained the home of a fraternal organization for years, as the local chapter of the Eagles Club took over in about 1931. Rice said the Eagles likely were running a tavern on the first floor, as do most such organizations, and may have rented out some of the upstairs rooms left from the hotel, as Butch's was doing 90 years later.

Those years with the Twenty Club and the Eagles saw the building establish itself as an important place in the community, Rice said. The clubs hosted numerous meetings and events for the public, and also bowling after lanes were installed in 1919.

"It was deeply involved in the community. A lot of community events were held there," Rice said. "There was the bowling, there would be dances, socials, civic meetings, union meetings. It was a community hub, and a lot of prominent citizens were members of the clubs."

Rice wasn't sure when the club sold the building. Clips on the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Facebook page show Cling Karnitz was running it as Cling's Bar in 1966, followed by Cecil "Butch" Sorenson. Clarence Cumber bought the place in the early 1970s and continued to operate it to the end with his son, Dave.

Having so few owners over the years, which probably meant fewer physical changes, helped Butch's retain its original look and vibe and helped give it its historic significance, Rice said.

"This one really felt like a slice of history," Rice said. "And if you were in the bar, it probably felt that way."

Musicians make it their own

Butch's impact on the city's music scene is more recent, but nevertheless it left its mark on the musicians who played in its Open Jam every Wednesday night.

Local drummer Jamey Clark said he'd wanted to perform at Butch's since he was a teenager in the 1980s, when he was playing in garage bands, and Dave Cumber, the owner's son, was one of his friends while they were in high school.

"We had a group of friends that included Dave Cumber, so we worked to play music in that bar since we were teenagers," Clark said. "It was a bucket list thing for me."

Clark got the chance to make Butch's a regular gig when he helped get the Wednesday night jam sessions started there in August 2014, which he said also was a chance to continue a tradition of jams open to anyone with a desire to get on stage and play at establishments along Third Avenue, such as those previously hosted by Van's, Nautical Inn and Poh's Corner Pub.

"As far back as I can remember, there's been an open mic somewhere on Third Avenue," Clark said. "There's always been a trend of someplace on Third Avenue to have live music, and it was Butch's turn."

It didn't take long for the Wednesday jam to become a vital part of the scene. The musicians who frequented the jams called themselves Musicians Loco 333 and have an active Facebook page, and people occasionally read poetry or performed comedy as well on the Butch's stage, with Clark joined by local sound engineers Tef Lon and Aaron Fisher to run the show. Clark described Tef Lon as basically the artistic director with him and Fisher assisting.

"Without Tef Lon, that thing would've been a fraction of what it was," Clark said.

Clark said Tef Lon also bought a lot of the equipment used to hold the open jams, as well as the Cumbers, and drummers used Clark's drums with the "Butch's Bar Open Jam" logo on the bass drum head. All were lost in the fire, as well as a player piano made in 1909 by Cable Piano Co. of Chicago.

"We had a house PA, the stage, guitars, speakers, amps, everything," Clark said. "It was just plug in and play."

The jams eventually evolved with musicians from all over taking part. Clark likened the growth to the old story about stone soup, in which someone is making a soup with just water and stones in it, and as people come along to ask what it is, they say, "You know, this would be better if you added (food ingredient)," which they do, finally resulting in a tasty soup once so many people have contributed to it.

"If you've ever heard the story of stone soup, that's how Butch's came to be," Clark said. "It started out where it was just a drummer with a couple of friends and a bunch of people who wanted to hear live music. The entire thing was the sum of the parts, and nobody was obligated to be out there. People could come out and try to play, or try something new."

And that's what Clark loved and will miss about the open mic jams at Butch's, he said.

"I really enjoy the magic that can happen in the spontaneity of the moment," Clark said. "Ninety percent of these performers were just people getting up to play. ... The way it was on Wednesday nights for me, that's how I envisioned it when I was a teen. It was the best use for that room."

Clark said Butch's was considering holding more gigs, too. The bar held shows featuring songwriters taking part in the weeklong Steel Bridge Songfest songwriting collaboratives each June at the Holiday Music Motel, then hosted Steel Bridge aftershows following their concerts.

Also, Steel Bridge directors pat mAcdonald and melaniejane moved a planned concert in 2018 by Texas-based blues-rocker Ian Moore to Butch's after they sold out all the space they had for the concert at the motel. Clark said that showed the Cumbers they could hold more shows than just the jams.

"We were on the cusp of becoming a legitimate music venue in Sturgeon Bay," he said.

"Butch's was big enough to pack a nice, big crowd in there but it felt intimate, like an old neighborhood bar, which is exactly what it was," mAcdonald said. "It was our favorite place to jam, but so much more. Nothing will ever take its place."

Butch's was a place to turn to

But as important as Butch's Wednesday jams were to Clark, he said the building means more than that.

"In all honesty, the real tragedy is just losing that building," Clark said. "What we did there musically is a mere drop in the ocean to what that building meant to the community."

Clark said Clarence Cumber seems gruff to some, but he helped a lot of people who needed help, especially by renting out the second-floor rooms to people who were struggling and couldn't afford an apartment elsewhere in the city.

"Clarence supplied housing to a lot of people who wouldn't have had any place to live otherwise," Clark said. "He gave a lot of people a chance. If you needed a place to live, could pay the rent money and follow the rules, everything was fine.

"He comes off as a hard-nosed guy, but he'll give you the shirt off of his back. A lot of people who rent out apartments in Sturgeon Bay wouldn't give these people the time of day, but Clarence would help them out. It's sad."

FYI

A benefit concert for victims of the Butch's Bar fire who are in temporary shelter will take place from 8 p.m. to midnight March 16 at Door County Fire Co., 38 S. Third Ave., Sturgeon Bay. United Way of Door County staff will be on hand to collect donations for its Nicolet Bank—United Way of Door County—Butch’s Bar Fire Victims Relief Fund. Nicolet Bank also is accepting cash donations to the fund.

Contact Christopher Clough at 920-741-7952, 920-562-8900 or cclough@doorcountyadvocate.com.

This article originally appeared on Green Bay Press-Gazette: Butch's Bar fire is loss to Sturgeon Bay history, music, community