Three Bells was a mixed bar that combined gay "fly boys" from Truax Field airport, butch lesbians, and straight college men, all under one roof. Female students were encouraged to stay far, far away, especially once the modern "southeast dorms" opened in the mid-1960s.

Owned by Melvin Andre, later the founder of Park Bank, and managed by Ken Burns, the bar was very popular with former servicemen after World War II. Throughout the 1950s, there were often lines of men out the door, many of them in their sailor uniforms.

Mel was remembered as a former Navy man who chain-smoked cigars in the bar day and night. The name "Three Bells" is a naval reference to the signal on a ship’s bell indicating that 90 minutes of a 'watch' (standing watch) has passed.

Despite a memorable neon sign of "Three Bells" lighting up, the bar had a long-time reputation for being both "tough" and "townie." Beer was sold by the pitcher and fights broke out almost nightly. (The 1969 International Guild Guide listing included the note "popular with construction workers".) In response, Andre hired the biggest, toughest Badger football players to serve as bouncers.

In 1965, the UW Board of Regents launched a five-year battle to seize, raze, and develop the 700 and 800 blocks of University Avenue. Three Bells, and its neighbors, were seen as vice-ridden, blighted, and not aligned with university values. By 1969, construction had begun on the "Murray Mall" project which ultimately built University Square and the Humanities Building.

Today, the Fluno Center sits on the footprint of yesterday’s Three Bells.