Brewery looking at Times Building

[beerbeer]

http://www.courant.com/business/real-estate/hc-hartford-times-building-20130513,0,4935937.story

 

The brewery has proven itself as a destination point, even in its off-the-beaten-path location in an industrial park just over the line from Hartford's North End.

 

In an effort to spread the word about Hooker, the brewery has long offered Friday night tastings and Saturday brewery tours. The events drew thousands of visitors annually even before a $400,000 expansion in 2011 that included nearly doubling the number of brewing tanks from nine to 17 and the creation of a 2,200-square-foot entertainment area designed to increase the number of visitors and attract corporate events.

 

Cameron said that there have been more than 27,000 visitors to the brewery since January 2012 and that the entertainment area has been rented out more than 120 times for corporate events since then.

"It's not just about brewing capacity but also visitors," Cameron said of the need to move to a bigger location.

 

 

[The Voice of Reason]

the open houses at the brewery are actually an awesome time

 

If I were not married id be there every weekend its the ideal crowd. 

 

 

not sure how it would tie into Front Street.  I do have my heart set on a large residential building there.  I am all for production brewery space built here and a brewpub in the facade, but there would need to be housing above the brewery and additional retail space in order to have this truely make sense.

 

regardless, I really would LOVE to see hooker downtown.  somewhere walkable from City Steam.  beer lovers like myself like to walk between breweries...

 

Ideally Id love to see this in Coltsville as I think it a great sport for a brewery, but its not walkable really, not to city steam or the rest of downtown.

[HartfordTycoon]

I actually really like the idea of Hooker being Downtown and in Front Street. I think having another destination type attraction in this spot would really help to enhance this area as place where visitors will congregate. Add a huge brewery/restaurant/bar to the movie theater, music hall, science center, Wadsworth, ect. and you really have an extremely strong core of attractions.

 

I think I'd like for UConn to be implemented with the AI project, but it's probably just not feasible at this point. I think the Allyn St. lot and the Main St. lot have the potential to be huge, transformational type projects where nothing of substance will get proposed for years unless this UConn thing happens. So, I'll go with one of those.

 

I think having UConn and CCC next to each other would not be a terrible thing. CCC kids could at least take some classes at UConn and start working towards a BA while still attending Capital.

[The Voice of Reason]

I too think the AI site would be the absolute best location, but it seems as though they are already eliminated as an option.

 

 

Breweries are destination retail, so Id like to see Hooker here too.  the interesting woldcard here though is the production brewery.

 

in this retail and entertainment district, how do you integrate the production brewery?

 

I personally would want to see ground floor retail and some housing element at this location no matter what!!!

 

so if this is a brewery with leasable retail space and 100+ apartments... im behind it.   id prefer 200 apartments  but I have hope that apartments will someday be added above the theater and steakhouse

[Luca Brasi]

Let me ask you guys a not so hypothetical question... say another school like CCSU were to take advantage of the busway and decide to have a presence in Hartford with a downtown campus. Would it make sense to have CCSU and UConn in close proximity to each other considering they are both state schools?

[beerbeer]

Let me ask you guys a not so hypothetical question... say another school like CCSU were to take advantage of the busway and decide to have a presence in Hartford with a downtown campus. Would it make sense to have CCSU and UConn in close proximity to each other considering they are both state schools?

 

It couldn't hurt.  But if this was a priority of any kind, they would have addressed it over the years. I went to UConn West Hartford and then to Storrs.  I had friends at CCSU.  The two schools don't have any real connection.

[The Voice of Reason]

Well, since CCSU announced plans for a downtown presence, this surely is not Hypothetical.

 

but put it like this, the kids attending ECSU in Willimantic party with UConn Kids.  5-10 miles is not much difference really in the grand scheme of things.

 

I kindof prefer that each school kind of keeps its own physical presence that way there is more of a ownership of that space.  that may seem weird, but CCSU is what it is, as is UCONN Downtown, and CCC.   putting them all on one campus blurs the lines.  I like the idea of each having its own small fiefdom within the city, and for each to develop its own relationship with the city and its people. 

 

The CCC kids should be proud of their campus and what they are doing, and they dont need UConn next door overshadowing them.    UConn on the other end of the plaza, or at Front Street or on Allyn would give them each their own space to be who and what they want to be.

 

CCSU is kind of a bridge between the two institutions.  apparently a ton of CCC kids go to CCSU based on their press release when they mentioned a downtown New Britain and downtown hartford campus. 

 

any way you put it its good to have them all with a downtown presence.  but Uconn is the only big enough to really change the land scape.  once they settle on a spot it will be interesting to see if CCSU chooses to snuggle up next to them by renting space in their building, or if they go a different route and find independent digs in downtown.

 

I suspect you will see CCSU near the busway terminus, so either in Asylum Hill or Downtown West.

[Luca Brasi]

The more I think about it the more I like the idea of the brewery/restaurant in this space. It truly fits in with the concept of an entertainment district with The Science Center, Infinity Music Hall, Spotlight Theaters, The Wadsworth, Capital Grill and possibly the brewery all in this short two block area. And I agree with others that UConn locating to Allyn St is a definite game changer for that entire area. It in fills a large gaping hole that would tie Metro Center and the Federal Building back into the downtown footprint. While the Times building is now in a can't lose situation (either Hooker Brewery or UConn) I think that is the plan best for downtown.

 

As was mentioned by Voice of Reason, I would like to see an impressive residential building here with the brewery/restaurant as the retail at ground level.

 

...and on another note, Capital Grill has their signup already.

[The Voice of Reason]

I want Uconn to make its call soon so land owners can "move on"

 

I think sometimes a huge thing like UConn has caused pause and distraction to peoples plans.

 

Once that is decided everyone can just go back to what they were planning or tweak accordingly.

 

I feel like Uconn has absolutely paused Front Street Phase II

and I suppose rightfully so.  I am incredibly impatient about these non finalized plans, and the projects all proposed many approve several funded all not starting.

 

its June 3!  I want to see some finalized plans and shovels in the ground!

[beerbeer]

I think the brewery should also consider the train station on Union Street. Great location, a huge part of the building is unused.

 

[The Voice of Reason]

the city recently got some funding to make some changes to Union station and they are designed to put it to better use.

 

There could be alot of interesting things there, but I am hoping that there is also increaded demand as a tran station with planned rail projects.

 

 

the govenors footgard armory would aslo be a good spot

[MichaelQReilly]

I think the brewery should be the choice here. As mentioned by Luca up-thread, it just fits the theme of the area better. A destination brewery a la Sam Adams in Boston would be such a boon for Infinity and the other businesses in the area.