In 1961, Louie Hren opened Wren’s, a restaurant located on the corner of Green Bay Avenue and Mill Road where the Kletzsch Park softball diamond now stands. Much loved by the Glendale community, Wren's thrived as a local favorite.
In 1981, the family opened Wren’s II across the street from their original restaurant, in the same location that is now The Brick. Louie’s youngest grandson, Tim, started helping his grandpa by cleaning the restaurant when he was only six years old. Young Tim dreamed of a day when he would take over the family business, but when Grandpa Louie retired, he sold Wren's II.
Tim continued to work in the restaurant industry while earning his living building cabinets; never forgetting his dream of running the restaurant his grandpa had built. In December 2014, he made it happen. For nine months, with the help of dedicated friends, family members and skilled local subcontractors, Tim redesigned, gutted and rebuilt the building. The reincarnated restaurant was named The Brick Pub and Grill after the Milwaukee cream city brick that wraps around the bar; the only original structure that remains .
Grandpa Louie had always been grateful for his success, and believed that small businesses should support their community. Tim and his wife, Chelsea, are now following in his grandpa’s footsteps, and promise to run The Brick in a way that would make Louie and the entire Hren family proud.
What was old is new again:
The story of The Brick Pub and Grill