After 80 Years Of Prohibition, Local Neighborhood Gets Its Bar

RACINE, WI — Prohibition in the U.S. ended more than 80 years ago, and officials in Racine are working to pour a drink in the city's West Racine neighborhood for the first time in generations.

In 1935 — two years after the end of prohibition in the U.S. — the Racine City Council created remonstrance districts, which banned the sale of alcohol in areas of West Racine, including its business district.

West Racine is a neighborhood straddling Washington Ave. to the east and west. The neighborhood grew around the old North Shore rail line, which closed for good in the 1960s.

This week, city officials approved the first bar and grill in West Racine since before prohibition. The establishment will be run by John and Ben Dunk, who have owned and operated "John's Dock" for the past 9 years.

“Customers from John’s Dock became family throughout the years,” Ben Dunk said in a CBS 58 report. “They were sad to see it go, we were sad to see it go. We’re just excited to have them all back and start something new.”

"West Racine is a great walkable neighborhood, so in addition to being able to enjoy great coffee, or great Kringle, or some of the other great shops, now there’ll be a bar & grill as well - which I believe will be a draw to the area, ultimately increasing business for all of West Racine," Racine Mayor Cory Mason said in a statement.

Photo Credit: Scott Anderson/Patch.com