CHAPTER 2, PART 2B: CASE STUDIES (BREWERIES)

EARTHBOUND BREWING

Located in what was originally the stock house for Cherokee Brewery, Earthbound Brewery is a prime example of a successful renovation within a historic building.  Led by architectural firms Jungenfeld & Co. and Widman, Walks, and Boisselier, this brick building was given new life starting with a facade renovation.  The side of the building was cleaned to reveal floor joist holes from a long-demolished saloon, and were left as a prominent feature.  Below the ground level are cellars thought to be used for the original brewery.  It is even speculated that the Cherokee Brewery chose this location due to either a former sink hole or quarry creating a head start on excavation.  When the Earthbound team took over the building, these cellars were filled with rubble.  With the help of numerous volunteers from around the neighborhood, the cellars were cleared out and brought up to date with electricity and stairs for access, and are now used to brew Earthbound’s beer.  The taproom upstairs has many design elements that are created either from historical artifacts or created by local artists and makers, creating a unique experience for all who visit.  (Naffziger, C. 2017) 

Personal photos taken during brewery tour, 3/29/23

OLD FIREHOUSE BREWERY

This brewery is located inside an old one-story firehouse in Williamsburg, Ohio.  The husband-and-wife owners wanted to create a truly authentic experience for all visitors by incorporating countless authentic design features, such as real fire helmets and jackets hanging on the walls, leaving the original firehouse garage doors, and even turning an old firetruck into a rolling beer truck.  The goal was for the brewery to have a firefighter theme, and to serve as a community gathering space that is family- and dog-friendly.  “I was really able to keep the feel of a real firehouse because it was a firehouse, I’ve said it, and it sounds hokey.  The village built this building.  Me and Lori, we own it, but this still belongs to the village.”  The end result was successful enough to earn a spot in USA Today’s 2015 list of “coolest converted buildings housing breweries.”  The use of the firehouse building is not the end of the theme.  The bar resembles the back of a firetruck and has a display of red mugs reserved for the regular customers.  The walls are decorated with witty firefighting tropes, gear from firefighters who used to work in the firehouse, fire extinguishers, and of course the beers all have firefighting related names.   Speaking of beer, the only thing separating customers from the brewing equipment is a rope barrier made from a fire hose.  (Armon, R. 2017)

TRIUMPH BREWING COMPANY

Triumph Brewing Company has three brew-pub locations in historic buildings, designed by Richardson Smith Architects.  The locations in Redbank, NJ, New Hope, PA, and Princeton, NJ faced unique design challenges but resulted in spaces that provide their own unique experiences.  In Princeton, the brewery took on an old Post Office building and painstakingly started the process of fitting a successful brewery inside.  They were able to design a brewhouse within the building that has a minimal footprint, leaving the majority of the space available for the restaurant and bar areas.  In the New Hope and Redbank locations, space constraints were also an issue.  As a solution, the brewing equipment was put on display in the main areas of the space, raised up above the bar areas so that it was also out of the way of guests.  Each of these locations have an industrial, modern feel, but are each unique due to the spaces they took on. 

Triumph Brewing Company - Princeton, NJ

Triumph Brewing Company - Redbank, NJ

Triumph Brewing Company - Princeton, NJ - Basement floor plan showing brewhouse layout (https://walkableprinceton.com/2017/07/13/triumph-post-office/)

Triumph Brewing Company - New Hope, PA - Floor plan (Richardson Smith Architects)

BLUEJACKET BREWERY – WASHINGTON, DC

Located in a historic boilermaker building, Bluejacket Brewery is a great example of a brewery taking an adaptive reuse approach to a historic space.  The project involved adding new structural steel and concrete mezzanine levels to accommodate the large brewery tanks which were planned for the upper floors.  In addition to the brewery operations, the space serves as a restaurant by night, with a bakery and deli serving breakfast and lunch, bringing customers in at all hours of the day and night.  By creating different types of experiences they can adapt to the needs and wants of the surrounding neighborhoods and remain successful.