Von Triers

There’s been a bar on the southwest corner of Farwell and North for almost a century. In the 1930s and 1940s the east side neighborhood around North and Farwell had a mix of factories, apartments and taverns including a place called Rieder’s which occupied the spot Von Trier does today.

During World War II, Rieder’s was one of several “Super Bars” that served three shifts of thirsty factory workers. Back then, a Super Bar was a tavern that sold drinks as well as bottled liquor and six-packs to-go. In addition to Rieder’s, there was the Pink Pig, the Hunt Club (now Cush), Murray Tap (now Rascals) and Hooligan’s which still calls itself a “Super Bar” even though package goods have been replaced with a selection of great bar food.

In 1949, Frank Rieder, the son of the original owner, took ownership of Rieder’s. That same year, the city decided to round off the corners for street cars and the current building that is now Von Trier was built with a rounded glass wall by the corner. (At that time, Reider’s was the size of Von Trier’s front bar.) Frank Rieder was of Austrian descent and his bar was an upscale cocktail lounge that served imported beers and specialty cocktails in a friendly atmosphere with a juke box playing classical and European music.