Shamrock Lounge

About

The Shamrock Lounge in Wichita Kansas.Serving adult beverages since 1933. Pool, Foosball, Shuffleboard, and Live Music.

Story

In 1927, looking for a real estate investment, Kansas Gas & Electric Company engineer C.V. Waddington contracted to have a small building constructed at 1724 W. Douglass (that's the way they spelled the street name then) Avenue. Sited in what was then known as Junction Township, the building consisted of a storefront and two upstairs apartments.
Waddington retained ownership of the structure until 1933 when, shortly after the repeal of Prohibition, he sold the property to local airplane designer T.C. Geselle. Geselle (who, according to his granddaughter, was also a part-time bootlegger) opened the storefront as Geselle's Bar & Grill. A large photograph of the bar from those early glory days still hangs in the Shamrock today. At some point during Geselle's tenure, the building was divided down the middle, and Mrs. Geselle operated a pharmacy out of the other half.
After this point, the building's history becomes somewhat hazy, but it is believed that around 1949, Geselle sold the structure to Wichita businessman Morris McGlynn, who opened it as the Shamrock Lounge. Morris alternately operated and leased the bar until his death, at which time his son Paul took over the helm. When Paul McGlynn passed away, his wife Neoma took over as landlady.
The Shamrock then went through a series of operators who ran the bar with varying degrees of success until it reached its lowest point in 2002. That's when David Stough took over operations and began a measured rebuilding process of the building's interior and exterior, including the creation of a patio where customers can sit outdoors with friends and enjoy the warm weather months.
Although he is still making improvements, Dave Stough has returned the Shamrock Lounge to its original status as a warm, friendly neighborhood bar where everyone is welcome and the fun and conversation never stop.