Two buildings located just off of North Water Street in downtown Milwaukee have been listed for sale.

The Trinity Three Irish Pubs building at 125 E. Juneau Ave. and the Vagabond building at 1122 N. Edison St., both located in the North Water Street bar district downtown, have been listed for sale. Kevin Barry and David Bartelt of The Barry Company are the listing brokers for the properties.

Vagabond announced recently that it will close on July 18 after nearly 12 years in business. A reason for the closure was not disclosed. Vagabond is among several bar-restaurant properties owned by local entrepreneur R.C. Schmidt. Schmidt operated Rudy’s Mexican Restaurant at the Edison Street space prior to opening Vagabond there in 2014.

Trinity Three Irish Pubs, also owned by Schmidt, will continue to operate as normal while the property is being marketed for sale.

“These high-profile properties present unique opportunities for users and developers to acquire two of the most well-known sites in downtown Milwaukee,” The Barry Company said in a news release.

In May two other bars in the North Water Street area, Duke’s on Water at 158 E. Juneau Ave. and conjoined bar Varsity at 154 E. Juneau Ave. closed. At the time that the closing was announced, the owner of the bars said the building they occupied was being sold, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel report. No sale of the building has been recorded with the state.

The bar closures and potential building sales come as the North Water Street district has been dealing with numerous incidents of late night violent crime. In March, a shooting resulted in the death of a 22-year-old and non-fatal gunshot wounds to an 18-year-old and a 19-year-old.

That happened after there were three shootings in the Water Street area during the summer of 2025.

In response, the Milwaukee Common Council passed an ordinance to require food trucks to close their operations by 10 p.m. instead of 1 a.m. as aldermen were concerned that the trucks on Water Street draw crowds that at times become unruly. Food truck operators objected saying they shouldn’t be blamed for violent incidents committed by others and that the earlier curfew significantly cut into their business. The Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty filed a lawsuit against the city on behalf of one of the food truck operators, and a Milwaukee County Circuit Court judge blocked enforcement of the city’s new rule.

Then, early Sunday morning, a Milwaukee police officer was hit by a suspect’s car while responding to gunshots near Water and Knapp streets. Police said the driver who fired the shots struck an officer with their car while driving off. The 25-year-old officer and two other officers fired at the car. Police said the driver, an 18-year-old man, was found nearby. He was struck by gunfire and taken to a hospital and arrested.

In addition to listing the Trinity Three Irish Pubs and Vagabond buildings for sale, The Barry Company’s office is also located in the North Water Street area, at 1232 N. Edison St.

“As a business owner in the immediate area, I am very concerned that more is not being done to address this (violent crime) issue immediately,” said James T. Barry III, the president of The Barry Company. “This would include a more extensive and proactive police presence, the cooperation of local bars and restaurants, including food trucks, the use of mounted police — who have helped to keep order in the area in the past and the active attention of the mayor’s office and the Common Council. This situation was very, very predictable and frankly it is astonishing and very disappointing that a better plan was not put in place to deal with it. If this situation persists, it will severely damage the reputation of this area and of downtown Milwaukee. Sadly, this sort of lawlessness now seems to be spreading to Brady Street and other nightlife corridors within the city. It is time for our elected officials and the police to do something about it and to deliver specific and measurable results to those of us who live and work downtown.”

Mayor Cavalier Johnson condemned the violent incidents in the Water Street and Brady Street areas over the weekend.

On Tuesday, the city released new crime statistics showing a multi-year decline in carjackings, robberies, auto thefts, non-fatal shootings and homicides. Milwaukee Police crime statistics also showed a decline in violent crimes on the Fourth of July, compared to recent years.