St. Paul: The once and future Hamm Brewing Company, in maps and pictures

On St Paul s East Side the Theodore Hamm Brewing Company Historic District is gearing up for major changes Voli re Spirits and CrowBar a new distillery and cocktail lounge opened Friday in what s labeled on maps as building No a former machine blacksmith millwright and paint shop inset from Minnehaha Avenue and built around A developer s plans for affordable housing and commerce are coming together around them A map of St Paul's newly-designated Theodore Hamm Brewing Company Historic District which depicts historic buildings officially contributing to the district in green and non-contributing buildings in red The St Paul City Council approved the local historic designation on Nov Courtesy of JB Vang and the City of St Paul Following years if not decades of research and debate the -acre Hamm s campus off Payne and Minnehaha avenues was not long ago recognized by the St Paul City Council as a locally-designated historic district The designation opens up the likelihood that developer JB Vang will qualify for state and federal historic tax credits as he seeks to redevelop four adjoining buildings along Minnehaha Avenue for housing and commerce The buildings labeled on historic district maps as No and include the laboratory wort cooler built in brewhouse stockhouse No and grit storage If the city approves a site plan and financing comes together next year remodeling could start in to install affordable art lofts attached to a -story indoor marketplace which will include a mezzanine The new brew house a smaller adjoining building labeled No was constructed in and not included in the historic designation Depending upon how discussions go with state historic preservationists it could be demolished Removal of that building would improve the flow between spaces and allow for more natural light in the loft-style units mentioned a spokesperson for the developer in an email There are still specific hoops to jump through but JBV is cautiously optimistic An architectural rendering of planned East End apartments at the former Hamm's brewery facility Courtesy of JB Vang Large rounded openings throughout the four buildings once held giant vats for the brewery and as a development of the historic designation any efforts to redevelop the buildings will likely require preserving various of them That unique feature may allow for light space and views between floors Specific holes may be infilled or covered to create more floor space In a separate project not eligible for historic tax credits JB Vang hopes to fill in part of a shared parking lot along Minnehaha Avenue to the east of building No otherwise known as stockhouse No with affordable apartments spanning one to three bedrooms above two levels of underground parking All the JB Vang units will be income-restricted to families earning to of area median income according to the developer An architectural rendering of the planned West End Marketplace at the former Hamm's brewery complex Courtesy of JB Vang To the south of the future JB Vang art lofts St Paul Brewing serves pizza beer and holiday cheer from a former brewery keg house and racking room dating to labeled building No on maps Its distinctive back patio and biergarten were once the Hamm s horse stables and carpentry shop and remain surrounded by their ruins St Paul Brewing owner Rob Clapp sued the city of St Paul this year accusing the city council of resorting to illegal spot zoning to rezone portions of the -acre campus specifically for the JB Vang enhancement Clapp and the city remain at odds over the prospect of filling in the shared parking lot with housing Related Articles Voli re Spirits and CrowBar new distillery and cocktail lounge to open at Hamm s Brewery site A look inside St Paul s Hamm s Brewery where lofts and more are planned St Paul Hamm s Brewery site designated local heritage preservation district St Paul City Council OKs rezoning for housing at former Hamm s brewery