William J. Gerst opened Gerst House restaurant in 1955, a year after the Wm. Gerst Brewing Co. closed. Serving German-American food, it was a gathering place for attorneys, journalists and politicians due to its proximity to the courthouse. Bill died in 1968; his daughter, Gene Ritter, continued the tradition. In 1970, urban development forced the Gerst House to move across the river. After Gene's death in 1988, it was sold and renamed the "Gerst Haus.” It closed in 2018.