Developer plans ‘beer, bed & breakfast’
Haertl also lines up beer museum for massive Pabst City redevelopment
By Steve Jagler, of SBT
Where else but Milwaukee could an abandoned 19th century brewery site be transformed into a new microbrewery, a beer museum and even a "beer, bed and breakfast?"
That’s precisely the frothy plan of Jim Haertel, president of Brew City Development Group.
Haertel’s company owns a minority stake in the mammoth Pabst City redevelopment project at the former home of Pabst Brewing Co. on the western edge of downtown Milwaukee.
Haertel previously announced he had received a letter of intent from Cincinnati Restaurant Group Inc. to build a Milwaukee version of the Hofbrauhaus, the famous beer homage in Munich, Germany.
Haertel is negotiating for a lease to accommodate the Hofbrauhaus on the first floor of his space at 901-917 W. Juneau Ave.
Haertel also now has a letter of intent from the Milwaukee Museum of Beer & Brewing to build just that — a beer museum — in 5,000 square feet of space on the second floor of his building.
To date, the Museum of Beer & Brewing has existed only as an organization with a cause and a post office box. Haertel is member of the organization’s board of directors.
That will change with actual museum space and actual artifacts from Milwaukee’s brewing heritage.
"Let’s just say they don’t have to pay the full market rate for this space. It’s quite a space for a beer museum, don’t you think?" Haertel said. "I can’t think of a better place for a beer museum."
But wait, there’s more. Haertel and his business partner, Paul Bertling, are talking to prospective operators of a "beer, bed and breakfast" that would be built in 10,000 square feet of space on the third floor of the structure.
"We’ve got a few parties interested. Here, you’d get a free beer before you go to bed at night," Haertel said, adding that the BB&B could accommodate 12 to 15 rooms.
The space, which has 18-foot ceilings, will feature turn-of-the-century style amenities, including hot tubs that resemble brew kettles, he said.
"We think people will visit the museum, eat and drink in the Hofbrauhaus and then spend the night in the beer, bed and breakfast," Haertel said.
Oct. 17, 2003 Small Business Times, Milwaukee
