Update: Carole Nicholas from the Waterwheel tells My Ballard that the bar is not up for sale, but there are a “myriad of things that could happen with a new owner. My plans are to take things one day at a time,” she says.
We’ll update with any new information.
Original: The future appears to be uncertain for one of Ballard’s most beloved dive bars: the Waterwheel Lounge property is up for sale.
According to a Redfin posting, the property at 7034 15th Ave NW is listed for $920,000. Waterwheel currently has two years left on their lease with a 5-year option to renew.
“VERY rare to find a property under a million dollars with seller financing available,” the listing reads.
Waterwheel is well known for their generous happy hours (4pm to 7pm every night), trivia, bingo, and their popular karaoke, five nights a week.
We’ve reached out to the managers to learn more about their plans — we’ll update as soon as we learn more.
Thanks to Jennie for posting the news on the My Ballard Group
![](https://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024-My-Ballard-Tile-Ad-Troop-100.png")
I’m guessing the owners of the property are near retirement age and need to sell? Hard to blame them for trying to retire. At any rate, the Waterwheel and all its karaoke kids are going to have to head down the street to Tarasco for their sing along fix.
I don’t think random speculation is helpful. There are lots of reasons to sell.
What a dump!