Prosit! Tosa Pool Plans Summer Beer Garden

The Friends of Hoyt Park and Pool vowed to "bring summer back to Wauwatosa" in rebuilding Tosa Pool, a 100-year-old tradition as a local swimming hole.

Now, the Friends are reaching back even farther into history with a plan to add an old-fashioned German beer garden to the summer entertainment.

"The Landing" will become a new tradition for Hoyt Park and Tosa Pool, if Wauwatosa and Milwaukee County agree in a parallel permitting process.

"We are working on it," said Mary Pluta, communications director for the Friends group that manages the pool. "We went to the Design Review Board and were approved, and next we have to get a conditional use permit."

There is also county approval involved because Hoyt Park is Milwaukee County property, as is the pool itself. But that's likely to come fairly easily. The County Parks Department last year opened its first beer garden in Estabrook Park, to rave reviews.

"They have our plans," Pluta said, "and they're been really helpful in sharing their experience at Estabrook Park last year."

A Wauwatosa idea

But even though the Parks Department had planned several more beer gardens in addition to Estabrook in coming years, this one is being offered up by Wauwatosa citizens.

"It is an initiative of Tosa Pool," Pluta said. "We had always envisioned having a restaurant of some kind. The design included a paved plaza for that reason.

"But at first we were focused on just getting the pool opened, which was no small matter. We feel like now we have the time to look at new amenities, and this is what came out of that."

Pluta said the beer garden concept will bring more people to Hoyt Park as well as to the pool, which is part of the Friends' mission.

The proposed hours of operation of the beer garden would be from 3 to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

"That would keep it pretty separate from the pool hours," Pluta said. Public hours at the pool are generally from late morning through late-afternoon.

Something old, something new

The beer garden will be on the north side of the historic bath house building, with picnic tables positioned on the paved plaza and possibly on lawn areas across the bike path that winds past the pool.

When the Depression-era bath house was remodeled, a new ticketing booth and entrance was created. The old entrance area, now closed off, still shows as a pair of barn-like doors. Those will be reopened and reconfigured as the serving area — separate from regular pool concessions.

The construction cost of the beer garden is also up to the Friends group.

"We are taking on the responsibility," Pluta said, "and most of the cost will probably come out of existing funds." Donations, of course, are always welcome.

The timeline for opening is mid-summer.

"We've got to get through the permitting process," Pluta said. "And of course, we have a pool to open in a month or so, so that's of first importance."