The bar was established in 1890, set up as what we would call today a “convenience store” that sold liquor and beer as well. The gentlemen that built the building was named John F. Keventensky from Bohemia; you will see his initials on the keystone on the arch. At one point, he owned the entire block of buildings.
In 1904, an addition was put on the south side of the building requiring the bricking in of the windows you see now and the covering of this Lake Mary brick. The exposed brick you see had not seen the light of day in over a century. The brick was the motivation to restore the old building and decorate it with some of the great history of old downtown Waverly. The brick you see on the arch and the back wall of the addition is from the same era and was reclaimed from a renovation on a town north of town.
If you wander around the building you will see pictures and historical items that range from the early 1900’s thru today. Countless Waverly residents have offered these items and it has been a great experience meeting and speaking with the people that have built this town. The building has changed hands several times, even becoming the Municipal Liquor store in the SO’s and 60’s. I am not sure if we will ever trace the entire history, but some of the names have been Martinson’s in the 30’s, the Muni, and in no particular order from the 60’s on would be The Last Chance Saloon, Sunsets, Rocky’s, The Long Branch, and the Uptown on a couple of occasions.
The Ceiling is from the old Quonset huts on HWY 12 right here in Waverly. The tin itself had been in a barn on Dan Rasset’s farm. The barn wood is 100 year old reclaimed lumber from Lonsdale, MN. All of the work done on the restoration and addition was down by Uptown employees and contractors from right here in town, We are very proud of the way things turned out and hope you enjoy it as much as we have.