Demolition inside 1225 has begun and the owners of 1225 Water, once Water Street's premier "sports bar," seem to be making changes to the venue's format and possibly --according to former waitstaff -- looking to transform the 3-year-old establishment into a restaurant.

With two floors of entertainment, 1225 Water once featured the Malibu Beach Club, The Skyy Lounge and the Luke's on Water Sports Bar & Grill. In 2000, 1225 owners, looking to improve upon the sports bar image, tapped into OnMilwaukee.com for readers' perceptions regarding the bar.

While Luke's had once been revered as the grand papa of modern-day Water Street (a street lined with taverns for more than a century), the general impressions and comments described Luke's as "lackluster" and "certainly no longer the 'sports spectacular.'" So, 1225 Water was created. Now, Milwaukee will have to wait to see what the new place becomes.

Current owner, Joe Sorge, told us recently that he is "trying to get it all figured out." OMC will follow the story and update you on developments as they happen.