Crafthouse & Kitchen Blends Historic Character with an Eye to the Future
With more than 30 years helping shape Milwaukee’s historic and urban landscapes, the national, interdisciplinary design firm HGA was Central Standard Craft Distillery’s ideal choice to renovate and redesign the distillery’s new home in the heart of downtown. Central Standard’s new Crafthouse & Kitchen encompasses an iconic, three-story building located at 320 E. Clybourn Avenue that was originally designed by architect Edward Townsend Mix in 1874.
Central Standard, a small-batch craft distillery, known for crafting award-winning varieties of brandy, bourbon, vodka, whiskey, and rye in the Brew City since 2014, started working with HGA in late 2019. HGA’s design team helped JLL with preliminary scope and budget prior to being awarded the project in January 2020. With HGA’s extensive background in historic renovation and adaptive reuse, the design team focused on showcasing and celebrating the singular character of the Mix Italianate building, which includes original, exposed cream city brick as well as wood columns, beams and joists.
At 16,200-square feet, the building is nearly seven times the size of Central Standard’s previous location, so the company needed to maximize the opportunities the building presented. They asked HGA to include a distillery space, restaurant, bar, events space, rooftop patio, and distillery tour destination as part of the plans.
“Maintaining and celebrating the historic character of the building created the underlining design aesthetic of exposed cream city brick walls and wood structure,” said HGA Project Designer Lyssa Olker. “Layered over this are branded elements in navy blue that provide contrast to the existing material and warm metals that reference the distilling equipment. In some cases, these design drivers came together such as with the use of leather wrapped handrails and leather strung elements that are a nod to the original use of the building by the Wisconsin Leather Company.”
Partnering with the Milwaukee branch of Gardner Builders, construction began in January 2021 and continued uninterrupted throughout COVID-19. Initial renovation focused on structural stabilization of the 147-year-old building, which had developed a noticeable lean to the west as the building settled unevenly over the years on its original timber grillage foundation.
To ensure that the building would be safe to occupy, HGA’s structural engineering team conducted an extensive study to understand the history of its construction and identify critical deficiencies, while developing practical solutions that would support the new program.
Primary structural solutions included excavating under portions of the building for new pile-supported foundations; installing steel X-bracing, a concrete block shear wall and a new elevator shaft to counteract the westward lean of the building; and integrating plywood diaphragms below the historic plank flooring to distribute lateral forces to the new shear walls and steel bracing.
As renovations moved forward with the structural solutions, HGA developed a cohesive interior plan that celebrated the building while giving each of the six primary spaces individualized ambiance.
Central Standard kept the building’s main entrance on Clybourn; patrons enter the first floor and are enveloped in an open floor plan featuring the restaurant’s main dining area, flanked by a large bar to the left and a lounge and merchandise area near the front that is bathed in natural light from floor-to-ceiling windows with a southern exposure.
A focal point of tours, the lower level holds the company’s working 100-gallon still that produces the spirits the company serves and sells on site. Placed just beyond the still is the Founder’s Room, a tasting room which features a 20-foot long, 3,000-pound bourbon tasting table that seats 20 people. The table is made from a 120-year-old ash tree originally from the grounds of the historic Pabst mansion.
Above the dining room on the building’s second floor is a 32 by 72-foot event space, The Mix, for weddings, birthday parties and corporate gatherings. The space includes a catering kitchen, bridal suite and a bar made from salvaged materials from Central Standard’s original tasting room at 613 S. 2nd St. in Walker’s Point.
Sure to be a favorite spot in Milwaukee, Central Standard’s Crafthouse & Kitchen rooftop deck, The Aviary, offers spectacular views of the downtown Milwaukee skyline and Lake Michigan.
While the lower-level distillery, first, second and rooftop areas are open to the public, the third floor is intended as office space for future tenants.
“It is really exciting to work on a project like this where all kinds of people will come together and have a good time. Being part of creating those memorable experiences, together with an owner who wants a unique vibe, is really inspiring,” said Olker.
About Central Standard Craft Distillery
Central Standard Craft Distillery is a small-batch, craft distillery in Milwaukee, WI. We distill hand-crafted Bourbon, Whiskey, Gin, and Vodka from locally sourced ingredients. Central Standard isn’t just the time zone that we are located in, it’s an attitude, it represents our heritage, and pride in craftsmanship. We promise to put every ounce of effort into creating the finest craft spirits.
About HGA
HGA is a national interdisciplinary design firm committed to making a positive, lasting impact for our clients and communities through research-based, holistic solutions. We believe that great design requires a sense of curiosity—forming deep insight into our clients, their contexts, and the human condition. We are a collective of over 800 architects, engineers, interior designers, planners, researchers, and strategists. Our practice spans multiple markets, including corporate, cultural, education, local and federal government, healthcare, and science and technology. Visit HGA.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.