Entry No. 9 — the Milwaukee file — filed under: speakeasy
Brumder Mansion Bed & Breakfast
Built in 1910 for a prominent publisher, this grand red-brick English Arts & Crafts mansion harbored Al Capone's mobsters in the 1930s, complete with a secret basement speakeasy and hidden escape tunnels.
The story
In 1910, Milwaukee publishing magnate George Brumder commissioned this sprawling red-brick English Arts & Crafts estate on West Wisconsin Avenue. The house was meant for quiet, high-society family life, but its narrative took an unscripted turn in the 1930s. Chicago mobsters affiliated with Al Capone quietly co-opted the mansion as a northern hideout, hollowing out the lower level into a secret subterranean speakeasy complete with hidden escape tunnels.
That bootleg-era sanctuary still exists beneath your feet, though today the underground saloon operates as the Speakeasy Theatre, hosting intimate live magic shows, comedy nights, and plays where mobsters once ducked federal agents. You didn't hear it from us, but the living aren't the only ones hanging around the audience.
The upper floors run as a bed and breakfast, but overnight guests and staff regularly report sightings of lingering, friendly spirits drifting down the grand oak staircases. Between the secret escape routes beneath the floorboards and the residual occupants in the hallways, it remains one of Concordia's most double-lived addresses.
What it's like
Arriving at 3046 West Wisconsin Avenue looks like approaching a stately turn-of-the-century manor, but going downstairs flips the script. To catch a show in the basement Speakeasy Theatre, you'll head subterranean into a tight, brick-lined stage space surrounded by period details. If you stay overnight or attend an evening performance, take your time walking up the central oak staircase—that is where sightings of the mansion's quiet phantom residents are most commonly reported.
The move: Attend a live magic or comedy show inside the basement Speakeasy Theatre, keeping an eye out for the friendly spirits frequently reported along the oak staircases.
- 📍 Concordia
- 💸 $$
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Indoors
Where: 3046 W Wisconsin Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53208
Hours: Added 2026-07-21 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Shaker's Cigar Bar & Hangman Tours — Double down on 1930s mob history and ghost tours at this former Capone brothel and speakeasy in Walker's Point.
- St. Joan of Arc Chapel — Pair Concordia's 1910 English architecture with an actual 15th-century French Gothic chapel sitting just a mile east on Marquette's campus.
- Don's TV & Repair — Keep the secret-entrance theme alive after your theater show with retro cocktails hidden behind a vintage CRT television repair counter.
Good to know
Is the speakeasy open as a daily walk-in bar?
No. The basement space operates specifically as the Speakeasy Theatre, hosting ticketed live magic, comedy, and theatrical shows rather than standard drop-in bar service.
Did Al Capone's crew actually use the mansion?
Yes. During the Prohibition era in the 1930s, members of Capone's syndicate used the mansion as a hideout, outfitting the basement with a secret speakeasy and underground escape routes.
Is the Brumder Mansion open to non-overnight guests?
Yes, non-guests can visit the basement theater space by buying tickets to scheduled magic, comedy, or theater events.
Where is the mansion located?
It is located at 3046 W Wisconsin Ave in Milwaukee's historic Concordia neighborhood, roughly a mile west of Marquette University.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · travelwisconsin.com · paranormalmilwaukee.com
last checked: 2026-07-21