First Ward House, a storied saloon/restaurant on St. Joseph Avenue that attracted increasingly younger crowds until it closed earlier this year, has been bought by a local ethnic restaurateur.

Ming Tang Chu plans to reopen First Ward in late July while keeping its signature laid-back atmosphere. He said he will tweak the menu to accentuate the most popular items, but overall keep the country steakhouse and barbecue cuisine.

“No broken, no change. That’s the American way,” said Mr. Chu, a 56-year-old immigrant from Taiwan who came to St. Joseph in 1983 and has owned six restaurants in Savannah, Kansas City and St. Joseph.

Mr. Chu said First Ward will also have happy hour specials as well as a nightly house special that may include Cajun dishes.

Mr. Chu has left management of Chu’s Garden at 3619 Beck Road, which serves American, Mexican and Chinese buffet items, to his employees.

First Ward is his last restaurant venture before retirement. He says he was attracted to its price, location and a following by younger crowds.

“I would drive by and I always see parking lot full,” Mr. Chu said. “I don’t know how they (previous management) not make it.”

First Ward House has closed and reopened under new owners several times. Inside, the tavern has exposed brick walls and hardwood floors. An addition and large deck were recently built onto the original structure, where local blues artists would entertain customers.

First Ward House claims to be the oldest saloon west of the Mississippi. It originally was built as a three-story hotel for railroad workers in 1878. The structure operated as a hotel until the late 1930s, and since then it has survived primarily as a bar.

“There is a lot of history here,” Karlon Abels, owner of DFG Fire and Safety, cleaning its hood ventilation system on Thursday. “If the walls could talk they would tell all about the gunbattles and brothels. A lot of history.”

Ahmad Safi can be reached at ahmadsafi@npgco.com.