Tag Archives: Adaptive Reuse

Adaptive Reuse, Brewery Names, Community, Craft Breweries

Hop Atomica

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I was in Savannah, GA last month. As with many of my out-of-town trips, I was attending an academic conference. This time is was the annual meeting of the Southern Regional Science Association. My last visit to Savannah had been in 2007, so I was keen to reacquaint myself with the city. As usual, in advance of the trip, I did my homework on local craft breweries. My research uncovered six breweries – Coastal Empire Beer Company, Hop Atomica, Moon River Brewing Company, Service Brewing Co., Southbound Brewing Company, Two Tides Brewing Company. During my stay in Savannah, I managed to visit three of them – Hop Atomica, Moon River, and Service. Of the three, it was Hop Atomica that I found most interesting.

Opened in 2020, in the city’s Baldwin Park neighborhood Hop Atomica is both a brewery and a distillery. The brewery was about a 40-minute walk from my hotel, so when I arrived, I was ready for a beer. The bartender set me up with Base Tan, an American Pale Ale that came in at 6.1% ABV. After another Base Tan, I wound up my visit to Hop Atomica with New Math, a Session IPA that came in at 3.5% ABV.

Base Tan, an American Pale Ale, that came in at 6.1% ABV

There were a number of things that I really liked about Hop Atomica. First, apart from good beer, the brewery had a bartender who was friendly and knowledgeable. I admit that I was there at a time when there were few customers around and so Adam, my bartender, was in a position where he could engage with me and answer my questions about the beer and the brewery. For me personally, a knowledgeable bartender enhances my brewery experience. Many breweries recognize that the way in which brewery staff interact with patrons is important. Indeed, many craft breweries train their staff in the art of customer relations. In the case of a brewery, it is not enough to be friendly and attentive. Staff members, particularly bar tenders and wait staff, have to be knowledgeable (and passionate) about the product they are selling. This is where staff training takes center stage. At Bear Republic Brewing Co. in Rohnert Park, CA, for example, new bartenders have to complete Beer Boot Camp, during which they learn about the history of beer, specific styles, etc. New hires are also required to take and pass Cicerone’s Certified Beer Server Exam within 90 days of starting employment. In preparing for the exam, brewery staff will learn about a range of topics, including about different styles of beer, the use of proper glassware, how to pour beer etc.

Adam – one of Hop Atomica’s bartenders pouring my beer

The second thing that I liked about Hop Atomica, as I learned from my conversation with Adam, was that the brewery was housed in what had once been a gas station. It was an excellent example of what is called adaptive reuse – taking an unused abandoned building, putting it to a new use, and thus breathing new life into it. Adaptive reuse is a common practice in the craft brewing industry – breweries across the United States can be found in old churches, fire stations, banks, warehouses etc. There are numerous advantages to adaptive reuse, including maintaining cultural heritage and slowing the pace of urban sprawl. It also gives beer drinkers like me a unique and interesting venue in which to enjoy a beer.

Hop Atomica is housed in a building that used to be a gas station

Third, Hop Atomica has a program whereby it supports local artists. As I learned from, Adam, the brewery serves as a rotating gallery for local artists who can hang (and sell) their artwork. While I was sitting at the bar, there was a young lady hanging artwork on one of the brewery walls. The artist was Mahsa Yousefi, the owner of Moon Child Studio. Mahsa’s medium is Surreal Psychedelic Art, whose purpose is to “to display, psychologically, the realism of the unconscious mind”. The art was eye-popping and certainly added a rainbow of color to what was, when I walked in, a bare white wall. Just last week, I was in Yellow Springs Brewery in Yellow Springs, OH and was pleased to see that this brewery also provided wall space to support local artists. Craft breweries have a reputation for supporting their local community. Whether it’s raising money for local charities, serving as flexible community spaces for activities such as yoga classes, or organizing family friendly bike rides, craft breweries are constantly looking for opportunities to support the community that support them.

Mahsa Yousefi, the owner of Moon Child Studio, hangs some of her art
Yellow Springs Brewery in Yellow Springs, OH supports local artists by displaying and selling their work

While at Hop Atomica I posted on social media the fact that I was there. This prompted one of my friends to ask as to whether the name of the brewery had a connection to any local activity or historical event. In other words, did Savannah have some “atomic” connection. I had already left the brewery by the time my friend had posted the question, so I could not ask the bartender. But as always, there is Google, and a quick search showed that in 1958 there was a mid-air collision when an F-86 fighter plane collided with the B-47 bomber carrying a 7,600-pound (3,400 kg) Mark 15 nuclear bomb over Tybee Island near Savannah.  The collision saw the F-86 lose its wing and the fuel tanks of the B-47 suffered heavy damage. The pilot of the B-47, fearing the bomb would become detached during landing, ditched the bomb in the water below. Despite subsequent searches for the bomb, it was never found. Whether this event inspired the name of Hop Atomica I do not know, but it is a possibility.

Hop Atomica is a microcosm of many things that I like about the craft brewing industry – good beer, friendly and knowledgeable staff, breathing new life into a once abandoned building, and supporting the local community. Well done Hop Atomica.

Adaptive Reuse, Economic Development, Neighborhoods

Wynkoop Brewing Company: A Pioneer Investor

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Last month, I spent a few days in Denver, CO. I was there to attend the North American Meetings of the Regional Science Association International – a scholarly organization to which I belong. On my “to-do” list for this trip was a visit to Wynkoop Brewing Company, which is located in Lower Downtown (LoDo) section of the city. So one lunchtime, with some colleagues, I jumped in an Uber and and headed to Wynkoop.

Among craft beer drinkers, Wynkoop is known for its excellent beers, including its Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout, whose ingredients include freshly sliced and roasted bull testicles. As someone who has been studying the American craft brewing industry for a number of years, Wynkoop is a brewery that I often mention in my academic papers. Very often I mention Wynkoop in tandem with Great Lakes Brewing Company which is located in the Ohio City neighborhood of Cleveland, OH. The two breweries have much in common. Both were established in 1989, and both were what are termed pioneer investors in their respective neighborhoods, playing a key role in their revitalization.

Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout from Wynkoop Brewing Company

In 2000, my colleague Stephan Weiler, a Professor of Economics at Colorado State University published a paper in Urban Studies in which he looked at the role that Wynkoop played in the revitalization of the 23-square block LoDo neighborhood. During the 19th century Lower Downtown emerged as a rail hub, mineral processing, manufacturing and warehousing center. The 20th century brought economic changes and the emergence of new transportation technologies that would supplant the railroad, with the result that “the LoDo industrial area went into decline, as companies boarded up their factories and warehouses. Squatting and crime increased, and liquor stores (along with their entrenched customer base) became the area’s most prominent resource” (Weiler 2000, p. 173). Some of the beers brewed by Wynkoop pay homage to the LoDo’s industrial past or the city’s unique geographical location. So you can sit inside Wynkoop’s taproom and enjoy a Hazy Train IPA, a Rail Yard Ale, or Kurt’s Mile High Malt Lager.

I enjoyed a Hazy Train IPA while visiting Wynkoop

In the mid-1980s, two entrepreneurs, John Hickenlooper and Jerry
Williams eyed LoDo as a potential location for a new craft brewery that they were planning. LoDo’s had what lots of craft brewery entrepreneurs seek out when they are looking for potential brewery space – an abundance of inexpensive large vacant buildings. Hickenlooper and Williams finally settled on the historic J. S. Brown Mercantile Building, built in 1899, as the site for their brewery. On the off chance that you follow Colorado politics, the name John Hickenlooper is probably familiar to you. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Hickenlooper served as the Mayor of Denver between 2003 1nd 2011 and then the 42nd Governor of Colorado between 2011 and 2019. He also sought the Democratic nomination for President of the United States 2019 but dropped out before the primaries. In November 2020, he was elected to the United States Senate.

Wynkoop Brewing Company
Patrons enjoying lunch and a pint at Wynkoop Brewing Company

As noted by Weiler (2000, p. 175), “the first few years of the brewery, though, were indeed a struggle, and were devoted to attracting a regular clientele into the area”. As its reputation grew, however, the number of patrons steadily increased. Not only did the flow of patrons to Wynkoop increase, but so did the flow of other investment dollars into the neighborhood – an antique store, residential lofts and a publishing company soon opened their doors. Additional retail, galleries, and residential properties followed the example set by Wynkoop and other early investors. Today, LoDo is a thriving neighborhood that functions as a mixed-use hub of housing, retail, office, and entertainment spaces. One evening. coming back from dinner, driving through LoDo, my Uber driver said that the neighborhood today was unrecognizable from what it had previously been. The revitalization of LoDo is part of larger planning initiatives being undertaken by the City and County of Denver. Over the years, the City and County have developed a number of plans in their efforts to think strategically about what the city might look like. These include the 1968 Downtown Area Plan, the 2000 Lower Downtown Neighborhood Plan, the 2007 Downtown Area Plan, and the Comprehensive Plan 2040 (adopted in 2019). In 1988 Denver City Council gave LoDo Historic District status, with a view to ” encouraging historic preservation and promoting economic and social vitality ” Today, LoDo’s development is overseen by The LoDo District, Inc., a 501(c)(3) Registered Neighborhood Organization.

A former LoDo flour mill (left) is now residential lofts (right). Source: LoDo

Wynkoop Brewing Company is one of many examples of a brewery that has contributed to the revitalization of an urban neighborhood. Google “breweries revitalizing neighborhoods” and you will plenty of other examples. In some cases, like Wynkoop, a brewery can be the catalyst for neighborhood revitalization. They are the first significant entity to invest in a neighborhood. Such pioneer investors can signal the promise of a neighborhood to other would-be investors. In others cases, a brewery follows other investors and becomes an important piece of the revitalization jigsaw. In contributing to the revitalization of distressed neighborhoods, craft breweries engage in adaptive reuse, thereby breathing new life into abandoned buildings. Thus, all across the United States, we see craft breweries located in what were once were old churches, fire stations, hardware stores, auto dealership etc. Craft brewery entrepreneurs are particularly adept at utilizing what might be thought of as challenging spaces. As noted by Bart Watson, Chief Economist with the Brewers Association, “one of the advantages of breweries is they can go into former industrial buildings or difficult spaces to develop”. Weiler (2000, p. 178) agrees with the assessment. As he notes, “craft breweries are likely to be particularly well-matched with the circumstances of senescent industrial districts, and thus often represent the most promising pioneers”.

My visit to Wynkoop represented another item checked-off on my “breweries-to-visit-list”. I have known about Wynkoop for years and have used it as an example of a neighborhood revitalizer in many of my writings. So it was nice to finally visit and enjoy a taste of their beautifully crafted ale.

Further Reading:

Reid, Neil. 2018. Craft breweries, adaptive reuse, and neighborhood revitalization. Urban Development Issues, Volume 57, pages 5–14.

Reid, Neil, Margaret M. Gripshover, and Thomas L. Bell. 2019. Craft breweries and adaptive reuse in the USA: The use and reuse of space and language. In Brunn S., Kehrein R. (eds.) Handbook of the Changing World Language Map. Springer, Cham, pages 1-19,

Weiler, Stephan. 2000. Pioneers and settlers in Lo-Do Denver: Private
risk and public benefits in urban redevelopment. Urban Studies, Volume 37, Number 1, pages 167-179.

Adaptive Reuse, Community, Craft Breweries, Economic Development

We Want A Brewery

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Vadnais Heights is a city of just over 13,600 people. It is part of the Minneapolis metropolitan area lying about 15 miles northeast of downtown.  The city’s website describes the suburban community as “a vibrant community with strong neighborhoods, thriving businesses, beautiful woods, lakes, wetlands, and trails”, In a 2016 Community Survey, 97% of its residents rated its quality of life as either “good” or “excellent”.

Like many American communities, Vadnais Heights has a number of parcels of vacant land. In 2015, the City purchased a three-acre parcel of land that had once been home to a gas station and a hardware store. Once the site was cleaned-up the City had plans to build an apartment complex on it. Some residents in close proximity to the proposed apartment complex balked at the idea , feeling that an apartment complex not an appropriate addition to what was primarily a single-family neighborhood. They voiced their concerns with City leaders, who listened. The result was the creation of a 14-member task force, who were charged with identifying alternative uses for the site. The task force, which included both residents and business leaders, was led by an outside facilitator.

The 14 member task force included both neighborhood and non-neighborhood residents

Before a decision was reached the task force did due diligence. They met a total of six times, three of which included listening to experts on a variety of relevant topics including environmental issues,
different financial scenarios, and market conditions. With 14 members, there was no shortage of ideas as to how the parcel of land might be best used. These included park/open space, offices, retail, and a brewery. Yes – a brewery! The suggestion of a brewery came from task force member Ashley Wilke, a neighborhood resident who had purchased her grandparent’s home nearby. Faced with a number of alternatives, the task force conducted a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) Analysis for each potential land use. To build consensus and arrive at a decision, three rounds of voting were held, with less popular options being eliminated after each round. At the end of the voting process, the task force had identified a brewery as the preferred option. As noted in the task force’s final report, a brewery represented “a unique opportunity for the city and would build community and social interaction.” The vision of the task force was a destination brewery that would also be a community gathering spot – a so-called Third Place. A brewery would also result in the adaptive reuse of the abandoned hardware store. Once the brewery was identified as the preferred use, letters were sent to over 500 existing brewers and distillers to make them aware of the opportunity.

The letter sent to prospective breweries included the above information

As it turned out the site was ideal for Big Wood Brewery who had outgrown their original location in nearby White Bear Lake. Big Wood’s owner Jason Medvec shared the task force’s vision for the new brewery. According to Medvec, “my goal is to create a community-centered venue where there is always something exciting happening and where everyone feels welcome”. Medvec anticipates that Big Wood will move to its new location in Vandais Heights in 2022, with the lot costing them $225,000.

For a number of reasons, I found the story of Vandais Heights and the desire on the part of its residents to have a brewery occupy a vacant building on a vacant piece of land to be a fascinating one. First, kudos must be given to the City for listening to its residents and creating a platform and process (the task force) through which a decision reflective of resident desires could be arrived at. As stated by Valdais Heights’ Mayor, Heidi Gunderson, “we heard loud and clear they didn’t want a high density development in that corner . . . I viewed the property as taxpayer-owned, and they should have a say in how the land was developed.” Second, kudos to Ashley Wilke, the resident who suggested a brewery as a possible occupant of the vacant lot. The brewery will be more than just a watering hole for local residents. Both the residents and the brewery owner envision the new brewery to be a community gathering spot or a so-called Third Place. All across the United States, craft breweries have strategically positioned themselves as community assets; as places that are a vital part of a community’s social fabric and which serve as a place for residents to gather. It looks as if Big Wood will continue that trend. Not only will Big Wood occupy a vacant parcel of land, but it will also occupy an abandoned hardware store. Adaptive reuse of abandoned buildings is a common practice within the craft brewing industry and is a practice that breathes new life into vacant buildings.

So well done to the City and the people of Vandais Heights. The people spoke and the City listened. As a result, residents and visitors alike will soon have a cool new place to hang-out, relax, and enjoy a pint of locally-crafted beer.

Neighborhoods

Overlooked Neighborhoods

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Recently, I came across an interesting article on the website ozy.com. It was titled Overlooked Neighborhoods: Little-known Gems in Well-Known Cities. The premise of the article was pretty straightforward. When we visit a city, we tend to keep to well-trodden paths. These can be restaurants we have read about in guidebooks, museums that are on everyone’s must-visit list, or a green space such as a famous park.

But dare to look beyond the tourist traps and our own comfort zone, and we will see that every city has lesser-known neighborhoods that are worth spending time in. This particular article identifies seven such neighborhoods:

It is is an interesting list, albeit a little U.S.-centric. What I found particularly intriguing about the descriptions of these seven neighborhoods is that beer is mentioned as a key part of the urban fabric in four of them (Abasto, Bridgeport, Brevnov, and Over-the-Rhine). In the cases of Abasto, Bridgeport, and Over-the-Rhine, craft beer bars and breweries, in particular, are mentioned, while in the Břevnov neighborhood of Prague, the monks at the monastery there first brewed beer in the year 993. This makes it the earliest record of beer being brewed in the Czech Republic. In a completely separate piece on Pittsburgh’s overlooked neighborhoods, Kelly Abrogast, shines the spotlight on the city’s Troy Hill neighborhood. According to Abrogast, Troy Hill is Home to “some of the best beer you’ve ever had”. Troy Hill is home to Penn Brewery.

Rhinegeist Brewery in Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine neighborhood

The fact that craft beer (whether in the form of craft beer bars or craft breweries) are considered a key contributor to interesting and vibrant neighborhoods does not surprise me in the slightest. In a 2016 piece in The Atlantic, James Fallows identified eleven signs that a city will succeed – one of those signs was the existence of at least one craft brewery. As noted by Fallows, “a town that has craft breweries also has a certain kind of entrepreneur, and a critical mass of mainly young (except for me) customers.” As Fallows correctly notes, craft breweries are a magnet for young people. As market research has demonstrated, it is the Millennial cohort who are driving the growth of the craft beer sector. A craft brewery or craft beer bar in a neighborhood attracts young people, not just from the immediate neighborhood, but from other parts of the city, and even farther afield. Beer tourism is increasingly popular, and craft beer drinkers visiting cities search out those neighborhoods with craft breweries and craft beer bars. A craft brewery opening up in a neighborhood is akin to putting up a welcome sign. It is saying to people, come check us out. This neighborhood is ok; good things are happening. In some cases, such as the Ohio City neighborhood in Cleveland, OH or the Lower Downtown (LoDo) neighborhood in Denver, CO, craft breweries (Great Lakes Brewing Company and Wynkoop Brewing Company respectively) were pioneer investors who kick-started the redevelopment of these respective neighborhoods. In other cases, such as the Pearl District in Portland, OR or the North Davidson (NoDa) neighborhood in Charlotte, NC the craft breweries and craft beer bars have followed other investment into the neighborhood. Whatever the sequencing of investments, many of these neighborhoods have had new life breathed into them.

Great Lakes Brewing Company was the catalyst for the redevelopment of Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood

According to Denver Public Library, “back in the 1980s, Lower Downtown Denver was what we called “a little sketchy” – a lot of places were boarded up, and ones that were open were populated by the underground crowd, drifters, punk rockers and late nighters. Today, the bustling restaurant – sports bar – brew pub district looks like the Seattle or Portland we all longed for, with a huge variety of food choices both native and exotic, all kinds of great beer, espresso, chocolate, and other delicacies, and a wide array of clothing and accessory stores, art galleries, and high-end lofts.”

Back in 2016, I spent a few days in Stockholm, Sweden. While there I visited the Nya Carnegie Bryggeret (New Carnegie Brewery). The brewery is in an old lightbulb factory in the Hammarby Sjöstad neighborhood. In the early 1990s, Hammarby Sjöstad was a run-down, polluted industrial and residential neighborhood that was considered unsafe by outsiders. By the time I visited it in 2016, it had underwent a remarkable transformation. As a result of significant investment, it was an attractive neighborhood with apartments, shops, offices and, yes, a brewery.

The Nya Carnegie Bryggeret (New Carnegie Brewery) in Stockholm’s HammarbySjöstad neighborhood is in an old lightbulbg factory

The example of Nya Carnegie Bryggeret shows that craft breweries often thrive in overlooked neighborhoods, but they can also succeed in overlooked buildings. Through the process of adaptive reuse, craft brewery entrepreneurs will take an old abandoned church, fire station, automobile dealership etc. and turn it into a vibrant craft brewery. Craft brewery entrepreneurs are attracted to distressed neighborhoods because real estate is often relatively inexpensive.

Some people living in an overlooked neighborhood, may like it that way. So they may not necessarily welcome a new brewery and other investment and the visitors that they attract. Rising property values may force long-standing residents out of the neighborhood. Along with my colleagues, Jay Gatrell and Matthew Lehnert, I write about this in an upcoming book chapter. The chapter looks at the historical evolution of Cincinnati’s Over-the- Rhine neighborhood. Despite once being dubbed the most dangerous neighborhood in the United States, residents of Over-the-Rhine had for decades been suspicious of outsiders and the change they sought to bring to the neighborhood. This suspicion manifest itself in the Over-the-Rhine Peoples’ Movement who fought against gentrification of their neighborhood. In the end, their cause was a lost one and millions of investment dollars later Over-the-Rhine is very much a changed and more vibrant neighborhood.

Further Reading:

Reid, Neil. Craft breweries, Adaptive reuse, and neighborhood revitalization, Urban Development Issues, Volume 57, Issue 1, pp. 5–14.

Reid, Neil, Jay D. Gatrell, and Matthew Lehnert. Leveraging brewing history: The case of Cincinnati’s Over-the-Rhine Neighborhood”. In Thakur, Rajiv, Ashok K. Dutt, Sudhir K. Thakur, and George Pomeroy (Eds). Urban and Regional Planning and Development: 20th Century Forms and 21st Century Transformations, Springer: Dordrecht (forthcoming).

Reid, Neil and Isabelle Nilsson. From mill district to brewery district: Craft beer and the revitalization of Charlotte’s NoDa neighborhood. Invited chapter for inclusion in Beer Places: The Micro-Geographies of Craft Beer, by Daina Cheyenne Harvey, Ellis Jones, and Nate Chapman (Eds).