Craig Dilger and Julia had met with a few other contractors before us, who all suggested tearing it down and starting new, but we wanted to explore how to adaptively reuse the building. There was an issue with setbacks, too. One side of the building sits directly on the property line, so if we had torn it down, any new construction would have had to be set back pretty significantly and would no longer have the space needed to support a brewery. Leslie Benson of Benson Designs was the architect for the project, and she was really great at helping Craig and Julia integrate their ideas into the final design.

“The space needed a ton of work, and the exterior block is all that’s left of the original building. The roof was structurally deficient, so we reframed it and add- ed structural steel reinforcement. Because we decided to leave the structural steel visible and paint it, we in- sulated the building on top of the roof instead of from inside. For the interiors, everyone wanted them to feel exciting, modern, and warm. The team decided on a minimalist Scandinavian aesthetic but we used a lot of pine throughout to marry in some warmth and counter a somewhat industrial feel. To keep things clean and pre- cise, Leslie had the idea to use white tiles behind the bar with contrasting grout, and that serves as a blank canvas to highlight the artwork that changes behind the beer taps. The bar itself is made from mahogany. I had these wide mahogany boards for over 15 years, and I decided they would be my gift to Craig and Julia. Our shop made the bar, and I think it was a really suitable use for wood that was so special. It turned out really cool.”

—Peter Warren, CEO of Warren Construction