Popular Dubuque Bar, Music Venue to Close at the End of the Year

It's soon to be the end of an era for a popular Dubuque bar, music venue, and night club as a "For Sale" sign was posted at the beginning of this week.

The Telegraph Herald caught up with Scott Cornwell and Susan Price, owners of the eminently popular Smokestack, located on E. 7th Street in Dubuque. Cornwell and Price made the decision to have 2025 be the final year of operation for the venue as they plan to close its doors after New Year's Eve.

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Why is Smokestack Closing?:

The decision wasn't made due to a lack of support and business, though the realities of being an entertainment center in 2025 are real, as Cornwell told the Telegraph Herald:

It’s a hard time to be a venue. All expenses have gone up — everything. Most notably, insurance [....] Susan and I are at a place in our lives [where] we’re grandparents, and our family is back in New York, where we came from 12 years ago - Scott Cornwell, per the Telegraph Herald

Simply put, it's in Cornwell and Price's desires to do something different and embark on their "next adventure." The venue opened back in July 2015.

The History of the Smokestack Dates Back to the 1800s:

The building in which Smokestack resides was erected in the 1800s, and its current name references the tall smoke tower that still remains a part of the structure. It was part of the Sanitary Milk Company's pasteurization facility, per the Telegraph Herald.

The building is listed as a "turnkey sale," which means it will be ready to reopen and continue operating if a buyer expresses interest in keeping the venue alive in its current form.

When Will Smokestack Close?:

Cornwell and Price hope to use the funds from the sale to return to New York next year, with Smokestack set to close after New Year's Eve. A plethora of special events and farewell shows will be scheduled to celebrate the bar's legacy. You can find out more about those on Smokestack's Facebook page.