A father-and-son team from Florida have acquired the
Pugh Marina in Racine, with plans to breathe new life into the 11-acre property serving Lake Michigan boaters.
Dan and Ken Kaiser purchased the property at 1001 Michigan Blvd. in mid-February, paying more than $2.5 million for the site, which is located roughly at the intersection of Dodge and Michigan streets along the last leg of the Root River where it empties into the lake.
The property had been owned by W.H. Pugh Coal Company since 1849, which had originally used it for businesses purposes before turning the land into a marina in the early 1970s,
The marina will now be called Rivers End Marina, Dan Kaiser said.
Formerly from the Chicago area, the Kaisers have spent most of their summers in Racine since the late 1980s, Dan said, and became interested in acquiring the property after the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in the closure both of the marina’s waterfront eateries: John’s Dock at 303 Dodge St. and the former Chartroom Charlie’s at 209 Dodge St., which last operated as Booster's Buoy.
“Honestly, the biggest reason is that my dad wanted broasted chicken. He wanted Chartroom’s broasted chicken, and it was a package deal,” Dan Kaiser said.
He said the plan is to reopen both restaurants by Memorial Day, renaming John’s Dock to the Bridge Tender, and restoring Chartroom Charlie’s original name, which was simply The Chartroom.
The property also includes about two acres of vacant land, and Kaiser said the family plans to redevelop that portion in the coming years.
Sales and services at the marina itself, including its roughly 80 slips there, will be managed by Racine Riverside Marine, which owns an adjacent marina.
[caption id="attachment_565425" align="alignnone" width="1024"]
Color blocking shows location of former Pugh Marina along the Root River in Racine. (Photo courtesy of Loopnet.com)[/caption]
