Hexagon Bar
The Hexagon Bar is located in what was know as the “Hub of Hell:” 26th and 26th, Minneapolis. The address is 2600 27th Ave. So.
THE BUILDING
The building was built in 1903 as a saloon, reportedly owned by the Schlitz Brewing Company. Its original size was 22′ by 60′. In 1907 an addition was built of equal size.
During Prohibition it bided its time as an office, barber shop, pool room, store, etc.
THE HEXAGON
In February 1936, John E. Weindel was listed as the owner of the bar.
By 1941 the owner was William Smith Reilly.
In April 1943, Reilly was fined $300 plus court costs for “evasion of floor tax on liquor.”
In 1946, Bill Reilly transferred ownership of the bar to his sons, Claude J. Hupp and Hupp’s step-brother, John W. Reilly.
In December 1951, in an account of his kidnapping and robbery, the owner was identified as Jack Reilly.
In February 1954, owners, Hupp and Reilly were charged with altering bottles of liquor. The offense was putting a cheaper brand of whisky in a name brand bottle. Apparently the practice was rampant and the police were cracking down. In October Hupp and Reilly transferred their liquor license to their wives. In February 1956 the men were each fined $1,000 and given three years probation.
In the 1950s, the Hexagon was a workingman’s bar where polka music could be heard.
Meanwhile, the bar was pretty regularly being held up, by bad men with heavy artillery.
A 20′ by 45′ addition to the back was built in 1961.
May 1965 photo courtesy Hennepin County Library
Jerry Schaller’s Hexagon Bar Jacket
Jeffro Zigmund’s Hexagon Hat
HEXAGON BAR BURNS AS TWIN CITIES ROIL WITH RAGE AND PAIN
George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed by white police officer Derek Chauvin on May 25, 2020. In the following days, Minneapolis was a powder keg of outrage that burst into violence. The headline above is how Jay Gabler of the Local Current Blog described the situation on May 29, 2020, as he reported that flames engulfed the 84 year old building between 2:00 and 3:00 am.
The light of day revealed an empty shell filled with ashes and debris. The roof had fallen into the basement. The Hexagon had been destroyed.
On June 2, 2020, salt was poured into the wound when someone posted this message on the Hex’s Facebook page:
“Due to Arsonist’s [sic] connected with ‘Black Lives Matter’ the Hexagon will be closed until further notice. Plans for rebuilding are in progress. We would Like to ‘Thank our Community’ for all their support and condolences for such an outstandingly shocking, lawless activities that seek to destroy our neighborhood & Community.”
Within minutes, the post was disavowed: “Any previous postings regarding the disaster was not authorized. We apologize for any miss communications.” Then the Facebook page was erased completely. Billy Hupp, Jr., son of owner Bill Hupp, repeated that the offending post was made “without the knowledge of management.”
Hupp, Jr. also said his dad believes he caught the arsonist on a security camera: “A heavyset, white male threw something onto the roof of the bar just before the fire started and surveillance feeds were lost. … It is clear to us that the arson was not made by Black Lives Matter or anyone associated with the BLM movement.”
The Hupps still plan to rebuild and pledged to support the community along the way. “George Floyd’s life was more important than anything that has been destroyed,” Billy Hupp said. “We are looking forward to working closely with the community to heal, learn and support local leaders to ensure equal treatment of ALL citizens.” (Chris Riemenschneider, Minneapolis Star Tribune, June 2, 2020)