After Fountain Blue closed its doors several years ago, local business enthusiast Lee Barczak and his wife Jane Schilz stepped in to return the circa 1911 building to its glory as a boutique hotel and café.

Now named Sheridan House, 5133 S. Lake Dr., an inadvertent throwback to the building’s 1920s stint as the Sheridan Hotel, Barczak and Schilz have painstakingly transformed every square inch of what is now a 12-room getaway in what they have coined “Milwaukee Metro’s South Side.”

The rooms here are classic with a decidedly masculine bend and reflect famous worldly vineyard names, perhaps a nod to the couples’ sister business, Sheridan’s Finest Wine and Generous Spirits, in the Milwaukee Public Market.

The café, which opened in early September 2007, is art nouveau meets comfortable classic and the menu, with former Sanford and Coquette Café chef Jason Jones at the helm, lends an authoritative twist to all foods ordinary.