It was sometime in the year of 1936 when L.C. Streeter and Joe Reidt applied to the Kirkland City Council for a permit to sell beer. The location for this new beer hall was to be the old Gateway Theatre, which is now the Bio Azure, a trendy spa and health saloon at 114 Central Way. This license was rejected by the City Council for unknown reasons but the two entrepreneurs tried again. This time the location of choice was a space in the building directly across the street that was known at the time as the National Supply Building. Today, this building is better known as the Kirkland Roaster and Ale House. The City's fathers gave their approval for this license and so in 1936, a new tavern was born on Central Way. Kirkland's first beer pub was appropriately named the Central Tavern.
Some three or four years later, the business was moved to the current location at 124 Kirkland Avenue. This single story building of brick construction was built in 1924 and served as the first Safeway Grocery in Kirkland. Sometime in the early 1940's, Safeway moved to a larger building up the street and the Central Tavern has been here ever since. |
