Skeller owners announce new name, detail what they're bringing back to the bar

The new chapter in the life of 108 S. Pugh Street in State College has officially been titled Doggie's Rathskeller and Garden.

Owners Tom and Kelley Trosko took over the former home of the All-American Rathskeller on March 1 and plan to open their new bar sometime prior to the beginning of July's Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts. Iconography like the original booths or the many signatures on the walls from people who visited the Rathskeller over the years will remain in place.

The couple will also be reintroducing the concept of an outdoor garden space — expected to open in the fall — that was a feature of the bar in the 1930s.

"Working toward our vision for this space both inside and out has been a rewarding use of my landscape architecture experience to bring this project full circle," Tom Trosko said.

Both he and his wife wish to maintain a sense of history and tradition inside 108 S. Pugh Street. Even the name references both the Skeller's original circa 1933 handle — The Rathskeller and Gardens — and C.C. "Doggie" Alexander, the owner who swapped it for the "All American Rathskeller" a year later. Doggie's Rathskeller and Garden will focus mostly on drinks along with small side dishes. Local musical talent will also be invited to play.

Before the Rathskeller closed in January, it held the distinction of being the longest continually operating bar in Pennsylvania. Duke and Monica Gastiger owned the bar and Spats Cafe and Speakeasy for more than 30 years and returned the booths to the Herlocher family after a court battle ended in April with a judge determining that they were fixtures and the property of the real estate owner, not the most previous bar operators.

The relationship between the Herlochers and Gastigers has been strained since October when the property owners told the former restaurant operators that there would not be lease negotiations. The Herlochers made an offer to the Gastigers — a proposal that has been disputed about whether it for the liquor license or the business as a whole — but negotiations never went further.

The Gastigers, since their restaurants closed, have opened Spats at the Grill two blocks from its original location. They also plan to open Re Farm Cafe in the summer at Windswept Farm in Patton Township.

This story was originally published June 2, 2018 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Skeller owners announce new name, detail what they're bringing back to the bar."