No ax to throw? Proposed Milwaukee Harbor District tavern combines football and bowling

A tavern that features a hybrid game of football and bowling is planned for Milwaukee's growing Harbor District, redeveloping an industrial building while adding to the city's lineup of game-based bars. 

Foot Bowl MKE would have games between teams of up to five people each, according to a new filing with the Milwaukee Board of Zoning Appeals. 

Each team takes turns tossing a football at the other team's bowling pins. The game is won by knocking down all 10 pins.

"Our vision is to create a go-to destination for events, parties, date night or just an evening out with friends that comes at a great value to our customers while generating a sustainable profit," the filing said.

Foot Bowl MKE is being proposed for a 10,300-square-foot building, at 1132 S. Barclay St. It has recently been used for a metal recycling business.

The zoning board, at its May 31 meeting, is to consider granting a special use permit for the business.

The building would be upgraded, with "significant improvements" to the interior, to accommodate the tavern, according to the board filing. The exterior would be cleaned and painted.

The business, led by Bryan MacKenzie, would amount to a $560,000 investment and would have around 15 employees. MacKenzie couldn't be immediately reached Thursday for more information.

Foot Bowl MKE would fit the city's new Harbor District redevelopment plan, the filing said.

It also would join other new local taverns featuring games — such as ax throwing or a motorized indoor version of polo. 

The 1,000-acre Harbor District is bordered roughly by South First Street, the lakefront, the Milwaukee River and Bay Street/Becher Street.

The district's water and land use plan, approved in February by the Common Council and Mayor Tom Barrett, envisions a dramatic, long-range transformation of the area into housing, offices and other new uses.

Much of the Harbor District is now marked by vacant or underused industrial sites. The largest is the 47-acre former Milwaukee Solvay Coke Co. site, 311 E. Greenfield Ave., which is undergoing an environmental cleanup.

But that area is changing. It includes other new nightlife uses such as The Cooperage, a renovated building at 818 S. Water St.

The Cooperage houses Boone & Crockett tavern, food truck Taco Moto, Milwaukee Pedal Tavern and Brew City Kayak.

Foot Bowl MKE would be just north of Cermak Fresh Market, 1236 S. Barclay St. The supermarket opened a year ago as part of the Freshwater Plaza mixed-use development, at South First Street and East Greenfield Avenue.

Other new Milwaukee-area bars featuring games include AXE MKE, which will offer ax throwing at 1924 E. Kenilworth Place; Lumber Axe, a similar joint that opened in April at 2246 W. Bluemound Road, Waukesha; WhirlyBall, with players in bumper cars using hand-held scoops to toss a whiffle ball at a goal, coming to a redeveloped portion of Brookfield Square, and Up-Down retro arcade bar, which is under construction at 615 E. Brady St.

Tom Daykin can be emailed at tdaykin@jrn.com and followed on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.