It may be Marshalltown’s newest downtown bar, but the Fletcher House at 202 E. Church St. is probably already well-known to local residents through its previous use as the home of the Historical Society of Marshall County (HSMC).

Building owner Denny Gray, who formerly owned and operated Dave and Sally’s on East Main Street, purchased it from the HSMC after the 2018 tornado and said he has been working on transforming the childhood home of legendary WWII U.S. Navy Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher, who served as the operational task force commander during the pivotal battles of Midway and the Coral Sea, for the last seven-plus years before officially opening on Jan. 1.

The bar includes three separate downstairs rooms for seating, and upstairs, there are seven office spaces and a conference room available for rent. Gray, who is partnering with his sons Christopher and Brian on the project, said he was immediately impressed by the historic staircase when he toured the building and got a great deal on it working with New Horizons Realty, putting in new floors, a new roof, a new furnace and air conditioner upstairs and new electricity while also repainting the inside and outside of the structure.

Gray hopes to create a relaxing atmosphere at the new bar, which is adorned with historic photos and artwork.

“It’s kind of chilled out. It’s a good place to come in and have a few drinks. There’s no pool table, no dartboards, no jukebox right now. I don’t know if I want to get one of those. Just come in and take it easy,” he said. “Everybody that comes in here says they’ll be back. They all like it. They go in the big room and sit down. We’ve got a big room, a small room and then the bar’s in the middle with the L-shaped bar.”

The Fletcher House is scheduled to be open every day — from 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 4 p.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday — and food options are set to be introduced soon with a focus on sliders, tenderloins and hamburgers. The bar has already hosted a pair of private events and will be available for more in the future, with anyone interested in doing so urged to call Gray at (641) 751-0075.

There will also be a stage for solo and duo musical acts to perform, and he plans to host entertainment in the future. Gray is excited to add another option for patrons in downtown Marshalltown and also thanked former Marshalltown Central Business District (MCBD) Executive Director and current City of Marshalltown Housing and Community Development Director Deb Millizer for her assistance and ideas on the renovation.

“I’ve gotten a lot of help from people that know that I’m not good at this stuff,” he joked.

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Contact Robert Maharry at 641-753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.