The owners of the Silk Exotic strip club in Milwaukee are again trying to open a strip club downtown.
Silk Exotic this week submitted applications to the city for tavern and restaurant licenses to open a location at 804 N. Milwaukee St. The four-story, 48,886-square-foot office building is located at the northeast corner of Milwaukee and Wells streets.
Silk Exotic, located at 11400 W. Silver Spring Road, has tried to open a strip club at several locations in recent years but has been unable to obtain city approval. In 2010, the Common Council rejected Silk Exotic strip club proposals at 730 N. Old World Third St. and at 117 W. Pittsburg Ave. in Walker’s Point. In 2013, Silk Exotic tried unsuccessfully to open approval for plans for a strip club in a city-owned parking structure at 4th Street and Highland Avenue, across the street from the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
Last year the Common Council rejected two more Silk Exotic proposals in Walker’s Point at 505 S. 5th St. and 906 S. Barclay St.
Frustrated that they have been unable to gain approval for a location in or near downtown, the Silk Exotic owners sued the city and earlier this year a federal judge awarded the club a $435,000 judgement from the city saying previous ordinances governing the proposed downtown strip club were unconstitutional.
