Justice & Gvmt
Justice & Gvmt
Cultural, Education
Cultural, Live/Work/Play
The Fife Street Brewing Project consists of the renovation of existing ground floor retail space fronting Summers Street and Brawley Walkway, dramatically transforming the former Fife Street Shoe Shop and adjacent café into a modern, compelling, and inclusive place – meaningfully contributing to the revitalized walkway and adjacent urban plaza in the city’s center.
The design character celebrates both the history and future of the space. Brick masonry and terrazzo flooring is revealed in an honest and less manicured way, while the new construction is kept crisp and minimal.
Diagrammatically, the kitchen is expressed in the brand color as a simple orange block at the southern end. Accessible public toilet blocks are connected to the simple, white linear bulkhead housing new MEP distribution while concealing and maintaining serviceability of the sanitary piping serving the existing apartments above. Non-accessible toilets and a mechanical closet are held within a thin, dark block tucked behind the existing linear stair shaft.
Addressing acoustic performance of the otherwise hard surfaces of the taproom, a dense, varied rhythm of linear baffles suspended below the charcoal fire-rated gypsum board lid provide scale and interest to the dramatic, linear space. Careful attention is paid to the layout of the baffles and centering of pendant lights and speakers within.
The storefront systems throughout the entire project are replaced, correcting misaligned and random sill heights and replacing frosted transom glazing units and large single panes with clear, high-performance insulated units. Sliding storefront is installed at the larger masonry openings along Brawley Walkway, delivering a unique open-air taproom experience to the city’s urban core.
The new bar and custom fabricated low and high-top tables are designed in Sapele wood with exposed steel bases. A new outdoor Biergarten space wraps the perimeter of the project along Summers Street and Brawley Walkway, further animating the urban context and maximizing the revenue capacity for the owner.
