It was December 2012 when a chemical fire started in the basement of Bourbon & Tunns Tavern, a popular restaurant and bar in Milwaukee’s historic Third Ward. The fire burned for about 30 minutes, smoldering throughout the 7,860 square foot facility that was absent of any source of ventilation.

Needless to say the three-story building was turned into a smoky and sooty mess. Complicating matters further were the Tavern’s structural origins, which date back to 1895, as well as its unique cream-colored brick which existed throughout the building. The locally fired bricks are an attractive, light golden yellow color and generally possess superior strength and weather resistance characteristics which were certain to create an additional challenge throughout the clean-up and restoration process. To add insult to injury, the Tavern had just been completely rebranded to reflect a new high-end menu and a whiskey-tasting theme.