313 Muller Road

Party time!  313 Muller Road has always been a place of fun and entertainment for Washingtonians.

In the early days, the entertainment was exercise.  Phillip Wenger opened Courts N' Stuff racquetball facility in 1978.  Peoria had their first racquetball facility open in 1973 called Courtside in Pioneer Park.

It is pretty clear that these facilities were difficult to make profitable because two customers took up a large share of the building's square footage.  Both Courtside and Courts N' Stuff ran continuous deals & specials in the newspaper.

The business was sold to Jim & Bev League in 1980.

By 1985, the Leagues had wisely added aerobics classes and therapeutic massage to their offerings, and had also introduced variations on racquetball, such as wallyball and basketwall.  These games could bring in more paying customers per square foot.

In 1988, ownership changed again, and the business became Off The Wall Sportscenter, which lasted until around 1990, when the racquetball craze had died down considerably.

With the fitness craze of the 80s firmly in the rearview mirror, attention on the property turned to 12-ounce curls.  The Armory opened in 1991 as a live-music bar, and made a good run of it, lasting well into 1995.  At the tail end of 1995, Scott Shute opened Chaps, a 100% over-the-top country bar, with live country music and line dancing lessons.

Chaps turned into the Little Texas Saloon in 1996, and it had a nice run, catering to the country clientele until 2001.  About a year later, Steve Koeppel opened Kep's Place, stripping away the country vibe and going for a more traditional atmosphere, although maintaining the live music.  He also expanded the kitchen to make it more than a drinking establishment.  It became a sports bar and became a very popular spot for watching sporting events.  They wholeheartedly participated in many fundraisers and even hosted a toughman contest.

Tragically, Steve Koeppel passed away on January 28, 2007, just a few days before his beloved Bears were to play in the Super Bowl.  The business was sold out of the Koeppel family in 2008.

On June 28, 2009, a fire completely destroyed the building.  A new larger building was rebuilt and opened in late 2010.