GALESBURG — A downtown Galesburg brew pub is seeking a city facade grant that would help repair the exterior of its historic building and eventually lead to added options inside the restaurant.
Iron Spike Brewing Company, 150 E. Simmons St., has proposed a $151,030 project that would replace 13 arched windows on the second floor and include tuckpointing/sealing of the brick on the north and east walls. The repairs are needed due to water water damage and are required to preserve the building and allow further interior renovations to take place.
Applicants are eligible to request up to 50% or a maximum of $40,000 (city portion only) of the project costs through the facade grant program. The Facade Advisory Committee gave its approval of the project at its June 7 meeting, and the issue will now move on for City County approval.
If approved, Iron Spike anticipates beginning work this month with an estimated completion by Sept. 1.
The former Central Fire Station is a designated Local Landmark and the applicant has also applied for a Certificate of Appropriateness that was approved by the Landmark Commission at its June 7 meeting.
Iron Spike General Manager Daniel Hite says finishing the windows on the second floor would allow for the renovation of the second floor into a dining and banquet area complete with a prep kitchen and dining room. The upstairs area would include the existing bar and lounge area that is currently not able to be used due to the erosion of the brick and mortar and the weather damaged windows.
"Our plan for the second floor is to reopen it with a space available to be reserved for a wide variety of events," Hite said. "It will look much like it does now but with improvements."
Hite said existing pool tables and a bar area would remain on the second floor and be available for guests that reserve the room.
Depending on the event, the second floor banquet room could accommodate 50 to 100 guests.
"The upstairs has an elevator for easy access to the second floor and the 13 windows around the event space make it a perfect place," Hite said. "It has a fantastic view of busy downtown Simmons Street and the new Park Plaza."
According to facade grant application, Iron Spike has 13 full-time and 17 part-time existing jobs and it anticipates the work will allow it to create three new full-time and three new part-time positions.
The Bar 65 also is seeking facade grant money for proposed facade improvements at 65 S. Cherry St.
The proposed project includes tuckpointing, adding a rear exit door under an existing window header, replacing six second story windows (currently boarded up), relocating furnace vent pipes that currently exit through the boarded-up windows, replacing the rear exit door, adding a wall sign above the rear door, adding a light above the new sign, new gutters and painting the rear facade.
If approved, The Bar 65 owner Sam Burdick anticipates beginning work as soon as possible. The estimated total facade project cost is $44,079 and the business is eligible to request up to 50% or a maximum of $40,000 (city portion only) of the project costs through the facade grant program. In this case 50% would be 22,039.
The Facade Advisory Committee gave its approval of The Bar 65 project at its June 7 meeting, and the issue will now move on for City County approval.