Bernie Brewer’s old chalet now sits high above the brewing equipment at Lakefront Brewery, a relic of Milwaukee baseball that could have vanished when County Stadium shut its gates after the 2000 baseball season. What was once the little house where the Brewers mascot celebrated home runs has been given a second life in a brewery, where visitors can still see it instead of wondering where it went.
The person behind that rescue was Russ Klisch, the President of Lakefront Brewery, who has followed the Brewers since the beginning. He was in eighth grade when he was called to the school office and learned his parents were taking him to the Brewers’ first game in Milwaukee in 1970, and he still remembers the 1982 World Series run, the trips to County Stadium with friends and, later, taking his daughters to games. More than five decades later, the old chalet was no abstract souvenir to him. When he saw an article saying the Brewers were looking for someone to give it a new home, he understood what was at stake.
Bernie Brewer’s chalet and slide were part of the County Stadium experience for generations of Brewers fans. The structure had become part of the team’s identity, and when County Stadium closed after the 2000 baseball season, it came close to disappearing with the rest of the old ballpark’s fixtures. Klisch said he could not let that happen. The Brewers asked $18,000 for the chalet, and he said he would come right down with a check.
He said the exchange moved fast. By about 9:30 that morning, Klisch owned Bernie Brewer’s chalet, a purchase that turned a fading ballpark attraction into a permanent piece of Lakefront Brewery. He described the moment as joyous, with balloons coming out of the mug and the whole thing feeling like fun. The chalet was not just bought; it was saved before it could be lost for good.
What remains unanswered is the practical side of the rescue. The chalet now sits above the brewing equipment at Lakefront Brewery, but the public record here does not spell out how it was transported or adapted for its new perch. What is clear is that a Milwaukee icon survived because one lifelong Brewers fan was quick enough to buy it before it disappeared.
