Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
TOLLBRIDGE INN /ELIZABETH'S TOLLBRIDGE
TOLLBRIDGE INN / Elizabeth's Tollbridge. The Tollbridge Inn was a scenic restaurant below EAGLE POINT PARK and above the ZEBULON PIKE LOCK AND DAM. Sue Balsamo got the idea of building on the site of the old toll house in June 1984, two years after the toll bridge closed. Work on the $250,000 restaurant, developed by Sue Balsamo and Paul Rasch, began in April 1985 approximately two weeks after Balsamo purchased the property from the city for $14,000. At the time, the council had stipulated that a $200,000 facility had to be constructed on the site within two years or ownership of the land would revert to the City. (1)
The one-story building had an announced seating capacity of one hundred inside and 18 at the piano bar. It was designed to offer vistas of the MISSISSIPPI RIVER, CHAPLAIN SCHMITT ISLAND, and the lock and dam. The next year a patio capable of accommodating 28 people was added. The restaurant occupied most of the western foundation of the EAGLE POINT BRIDGE.
In 1991 Balsamo later sold her interest in the business to John and Chris Bonnette. They owned the business for a decade.
In 1999 Elizabeth Thiltgen, whose parents owned the operated Timmerman's Supper Club in East Dubuque, Illinois for more than fifteen years, purchased the Inn. She remodeled the business and renamed it Elizabeth's Tollbridge. The menu saw the addition of a California / Mediterranean fare. She was also one of the first business owners in the community to add the sale of wine by the glass.
Less than two years later, Elizabeth was approached by developer A. J. Spiegel. The restaurant was torn down the last week of April, 2003. (2) Spiegel wanted to test the stability of the land. Construction of a new building never began. (3)
The 1987 through 1989 Dubuque City Directory listed 2800 Rhomberg.
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Source:
1. Shaffer, David, "New Restaurant Touts View," Telegraph Herald, September 23, 1985, p. 5
2. Coyle, Erin, "Tollbridge Restaurant Still Serves Memories," Telegraph Herald, May 8, 2003, p. 1
3. "The Tollbridge Inn / Elizabeth's Tollbridge" The Tri-States' Supper Clubs" (supplement to the Telegraph Herald), October 17, 2024, p. 12
