If you’re a Milwaukee native, you might already know the “hidden” location of the SafeHouse, and even know the secret password. The SafeHouse has covertly operated in Milwaukee under the alias, International Exports Ltd., in an alleyway near the Milwaukee river since 1966.
Established by David Baldwain, under the alias of Agent OH-OH-Seven, the SafeHouse marks its 50th anniversary this month. Behind its hidden entrance is a restaurant filled with global espionage memorabilia – from secret secret passageways, a piece of the Berlin wall, to items from James Bond films. And the SafeHouse has hosted everyone from locals to celebrities passing through.
For Agent Blonde (aka Peggy Williams-Smith, senior vice president of SafeHouse Restaurants), what has made the spy hideaway so successful for 50 years and counting is its very theme. "When you go to the theme of espionage, it's the world's second oldest profession. It's actually talked about in the Bible," she says.
Having recently undergone some renovations including a new bar, an Agent OH-OH Seven loft space dedicated to the late David Baldwin, handicap accessible entrance to the News Room Pub, and more; the SafeHouse still has all of the essential memorabilia, photographs, and paintings on its walls that have been there since its opening, and have grown since then.
"I've been coming into this since I was 25 years old...and I will tell you that to this day, I am still finding things that I did not realize were here," says Williams-Smith.
Now owned by the Marcus Corporation, the SafeHouse is looking to expand to new locations outside of Milwaukee. Williams-Smith also assures that expansion was the original intention of founder David Baldwin. Baldwin and Greg Marcus (Agent BB) were in fact talking for four years about the sale of the SafeHouse and what its future could look like.
"There's a large map behind the Interpol bar and it has little red lights lit up throughout it that you can see at certain times, and (Baldwin) really thought he was going to grow this brand to every red dot on that map," she says.
However, expanding the SafeHouse brand will not compromise the original vision, says to Williams-Smith.
"We can't duplicate what this is, because you can't take 50 years and do something once. We think that the concept is amazing, we think that we'll be able to replicate, and we'll be able to stay true to the core of what David Baldwin originally started," she explains.
