Project Profiles: Hospitality and Entertainment

Malarkey’s Pub and Townies Grill, Wausau, Wis.

Retrofit Team

Window Installer: Precision Glass and Door LLC, Stevens Point, Wis.

Materials

When Malarkey’s Pub opened Townies Grill in 2007, the businesses occupied what previously had been two separate but connected locations in the 1929 Mayer-Lotz building. The building had been divided and built-out in the 1960s for various retail businesses, offices and restaurants. “There was a disjointed look to the existing storefront. It had been updated many decades ago using large, single-pane glass. It offered a mostly unobstructed view, but it was old and the seals had deteriorated,” remembers Tyler Vogt, co-owner of Malarkey’s Pub.

The Mayer-Lotz building co-owners, Kurt and Ed Kraimer, saw an opportunity to foster a greater connection to the activity of adjacent Courthouse Square and draw more patrons inside Malarkey’s Pub and Townies Grill. The Mayer-Lotz building features a touch of Art deco near the roofline, geometric capitals and engraved columns. To capture a traditional look while offering modern performance, the owners chose to install four Kolbe ultra Series folding windows, each crafted with a different configuration to maximize views. Beveled glazing beads accentuate the historic aesthetic. For the Malarkey’s/Townies installation, the windows’ exteriors are clad in low-maintenance extruded aluminum finished in a durable dark Bronze anodize. On the interior, oak wood is stained a Chestnut color.

“There was a lot taken into consideration for the new windows’ performance and aesthetic,” explains Kurt Kraimer. “Now we have a uniform appearance that coordinates across our entire space and fits with the neighborhood. Because the building’s almost 100-years old and Mr. Vogt is operating a restaurant, there are a lot of rules. We didn’t want it to look out of touch or out of time with the other historic buildings surrounding Courthouse Square.”

The folding windows have side-retracting, black screens to keep out early-evening bugs. Three of the units have four panels totaling 9 1/2-feet wide and one has three panels totaling 6.2 feet wide to maximize views. Kolbe can accommodate up to eight panels on each side, spanning more than 50 feet and as high as 72 inches. The units for Malarkey’s are each 55 7/5-inches high.

“Kolbe worked with us to give us a lot of options in customizing the windows—which way each window opened, how many panels were in each window, how wide each panel was and how the mullions were balanced,” Kraimer adds. “All of this helped to maximize the view of the park and minimize obstructions for Malarkey’s guests.”

Window Manufacturer: Kolbe Windows & Doors

The Retrofit

Given its proximity to the 1927 Grand Theatre, the Mayer-Lotz building is often called “Grand View” by Wausau’s residents. Thanks to a storefront update with folding windows, Malarkey’s Pub and Townies Grill guests now truly have a grand view. “everyone wants to sit by the windows. It’s the no. 1 question asked at our hostess station,” Vogt notes. “The windows definitely give our place a more modern, big-city feel with a connection to the activities downtown.”

In addition, Vogt has noticed a boost in business. “Since the windows have been added, we’ve increased our reservations by 150 to 200 percent,” he says. “We’re the busiest we’ve ever been.”

Photo: Kolbe Windows & Doors