A few days ago I attended a Tumwater Chamber of Commerce luncheon featuring a presentation by the new owners of the Old Brew house. Pat Rhodes and George Heidgerken bought part of the Tumwater brewery a few months ago, and together with Ryan Rhodes, the project manager, and Jim Brown, the project architect, spoke about the brewery's history, introduced a progress report, their vision of the old brew house's future and the potential it holds for the community.
If left unchanged, the historic brew house would have run a course of quick deterioration and would have been an irreplaceable loss to the community. As I've written in a previous blog, the old brew house is a historical landmark who's look is embossed in the local area architecure.
Listening to the presentation I got the impression that the property is in good hands with local and experienced entrepreneurs. Since purchasing the property, George and Pat have received numerous offers from other parties to buy the property from them. They could also just as easily rent the existing structures as warehouse space. However, the partners realize the special opportunity they have on hand and the great potential the property harbors. They are currently in negotiation to purchase the rest of the Tumwater brewery property.
The new owners are looking for a public-private partnership to shape the future of the old brew house. The vision entails the possible re-creation of previous historical buildings on site, access to the lake and river for small boats or kayaks, tying into and expanding the area trail system, creating a grand plaza, utilizing the existing rail system for a trolley to Olympia, constructing a bridge across to Tumwater Historic Park, building a parking garage, converting the buildings for hotel use, coffee house, micro-brewery, and even an indoor climbing wall. The possibilities are endless and are restricted only by limited funds and lack of public support.
The brewery complex is ideally located between Olympia and Tumwater, with immediate access to I-5 and Hwy 101. It is adjacent to parks, Capitol Lake and the Deschutes River. Realizing its full potential could have a huge economic impact for the area. If the old brew house can become a destination resort, it would bring jobs, tax revenue and prestige to the region.
When I think of the best use for the Old Brew House, the Edgefield Hotel, a historic farm outside of Portland, restored and converted to hospitality use by the McMennamin brothers, comes to mind. Take a look at Edgefield and you'll even see a resemblance to the architecture of the Old Brew house.
I hope the new owners of the brewery get all the support needed to transform the property to a valuable community asset. I hope the city of Olympia will take an active role and give support to this undertaking; not just because of the potential impact, but also because, after all, this used to be the Olympia Brewing Company.
I also hope to see the owners establish an online community interface, so the public can track the progress and give input on the project. I look forward to touring the property in the next few weeks.
Sandy Nelson
Olympia Realtor®, GRI, ASP, Built Green
360-789-7505
www.SandyNelsonRealEstate.com
Our community is important to me. I take pride in our beautiful locality, and our quality of life.
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