Falstaff Brewery To Be Redeveloped

[Urbannizer]

 

http://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/Redevelopment-of-Galveston-s-Falstaff-site-seen-6438534.php#photo-8450907

 

Galveston's Falstaff Brewery to be Redevoleped

 

The former Falstaff brewery in Galveston has moved a step closer to redevelopment with a new owner and plans to convert the hulking industrial building and surrounding plot into a parking lot for cruise passengers and, later, condominiums and a boutique hotel.

 

The new owner, a Friendswood attorney, has been aggressive in purchasing older properties for redevelopment, including the Mall of the Mainland in Texas City. Plans for the brewery building's renaissance could signal new life in an area of the island that was hard hit by Hurricane Ike in 2008.

 

"In terms of large-scale renovation, this is the most aggressive project in the attempt to succeed in mixed-use development" on the island, said Jeff Sjostrom, president of the Galveston Economic Development Partnership. "It could be a shot in the arm for (the area north of) Broadway. There are many exciting developments in Galveston, but this is in the center of the corridor and could kick-start other projects."

[plumber2]

The taller building in the photo was built by Falstaff in the early 1960's. The attached building behind it was the original Magnolia Brewing Company building. A service courtyard on the south side of the building preserves the original front entrance and the "Magnolia Brewing Company" building signage above. I hope the current owners save that part. There are large vats and tanks remaining in the newer building. A metal scrapper's dream come true I suppose. "Southern Select" was the labeled beer brewed in this plant up until the Falstaff purchase. The Falstaff tenure was profitable up until the late 1970's when the brand started suffering decline. A leveraged buy out, asset selling and reduced advertising budgets completed the rest. A classic employee lock out and close down in 1981 ended it. The building has been unused since.

I walked it about 10 years ago with a friend of the property owner and the insides were trashed by vagrants. One interesting discovery was the brew masters log book, sitting in the control booth, opened to the last day of entries of volumes, pressures and temperatures readings. There are some U Tube videos out there by obvious trespassers that show the insides as is today.

 

[Urbannizer]

Application for Falstaff Brewery to be under the National Register of Historic Places has been filed.

 

http://www.thc.texas.gov/public/upload/preserve/national_register/draft_nominations/Galveston Falstaff Brewery SBR Draft.pdf

[native_Houstonian]

 

A little more info in this Forbes article - storage, boutique hotel, and what sounds like an awesome rooftop party venue.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cynthialescalleet/2018/04/24/former-falstaff-brewery-in-galveston-taps-into-new-uses/#1bf4b7c6b133

[H-Town Man]

23 hours ago, native_Houstonian said:

 

A little more info in this Forbes article - storage, boutique hotel, and what sounds like an awesome rooftop party venue.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cynthialescalleet/2018/04/24/former-falstaff-brewery-in-galveston-taps-into-new-uses/#1bf4b7c6b133

 

One thing these historic reuse projects always neglect is climate-controlled self-storage. Somewhere amid the boutique hotel and the brewpub you've gotta have a place to put the old ping-pong table and VHS tapes.

 

[Texasota]

I have never used self storage and genuinely don't understand the purpose of it, except for short-term purposes or unexpected inheritance you need to figure out something to do with. Why keep something if you're not using it? How many people really have stuff worth holding onto that can't be just as easily (and probably just as cheaply) replaced if you move into a larger place?

[j_cuevas713]

I hope something similar happens to the Atlantic Coffee factory in the East End

[Naviguessor]

They were painting large portions of the building, last weekend. 

[Urbannizer]

2 hours ago, CrockpotandGravel said:

Rendering of the adaptive reuse of Falstaff Brewery at 402 33rd St, Galveston ( or 3302 Church St ).

There may be a more recent rendering.

 

That's an actual photo.

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 1, 2019 in this thread before all of my content were removed from the entire forum earlier this month. Reposting this throws off the flow of the thread (i.e. out of order),  still, it may be helpful for visitors to see what was previously discussed or shared before.

Falstaff Brewery at  402 33rd St, Galveston.




















Google Street View, August 2018




 

 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 1, 2019 in this thread before all of my content were removed from the entire forum earlier this month. Reposting this throws off the flow of the thread (i.e. out of order),  still, it may be helpful for visitors to see what was previously discussed or shared before.

 

On 4/24/2018 at 4:44 PM, native_Houstonian said:

 

A little more info in this Forbes article - storage, boutique hotel, and what sounds like an awesome rooftop party venue.

 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/cynthialescalleet/2018/04/24/former-falstaff-brewery-in-galveston-taps-into-new-uses/#1bf4b7c6b133

 

More on the adaptive reuse of Falstaff Brewery at 402 33rd St, Galveston.


This is from the Galveston Daily News, June 2018 (behind a paywall):

 

A 110-room boutique hotel planned for 3303 Church St. in the former Falstaff Brewery site in Galveston will operate under the Hotel RL flag.
 

Friendswood attorney and developer Jerome Karam announced last week he had signed a contract with Hotel RL, an upscale brand owned by Red Lion Hotels Corp.
 

Karam also has entered into an agreement with Dallas-based Prism Hotels & Resorts to manage the property, he said. Construction could begin in the fall, Karam said.
 

In June 2015, Karam bought the 313,000-square-foot brewery complex, which had been constructed in 1905 and had greatly deteriorated since closing in 1981.
 

Under Karam’s ownership, the property has been divided into four plats. Along with the hotel, Karam is developing a climate-controlled storage facility at the Falstaff site and plans an event center on the fifth floor of the storage facility, in what had been the Falstaff Brewery tasting room. The event venue, which he has yet to name, will accommodate 500 people and be accessible from a walkway connected to the hotel, Karam said.
 

Premier Parking in 2016 agreed to buy 100,000 square feet of the Falstaff property from Karam for cruise-ship passenger parking, which is under development. Another developer has acquired a parcel on the property for parking and Karam has put 5 acres around the complex on the market.


https://www.galvnews.com/business/buzz/article_b1edbb69-6eba-5b27-9d61-0d0076d3191d.html


 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 1, 2019 in this thread before all of my content were removed from the entire forum earlier this month. Reposting this throws off the flow of the thread (i.e. out of order),  still, it may be helpful for visitors to see what was previously discussed or shared before.

 

 

 

More on the storage facility, part of the adaptive reuse of Falstaff Brewery at 402 33rd St, Galveston.


From Houston Chronicle in March:

 

In Galveston, a portion of the Falstaff Brewery, at 3302 Church St., will add 50,000 square feet of climate-controlled storage in 436 units to the market in April.
 

LandPark Advisors, an affiliate of Right Move Storage, will oversee operations and provide advisory services.

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/bizfeed/article/Former-Texas-City-mall-property-Falstaff-Brewery-13667212.php

 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 1, 2019 in this thread before all of my content were removed from the entire forum earlier this month. Reposting this throws off the flow of the thread (i.e. out of order),  still, it may be helpful for visitors to see what was previously discussed or shared before.

 

 

 

More on the adaptive reuse of Falstaff Brewery at 402 33rd St, Galveston.

This is from the developer's website, JMK5 Holdings (not sure when it was posted0:


 

Falstaff Brewery
3302 Church Street

Galveston, TX 77550

 

The Falstaff Brewery has been re-plated into 3 separate entities. Premier Cruise Parking, a 6 story Climate Controlled Storage with a World-Class Event Center on the rooftop that holds up to 500 people, and the 10 story, 110 room Hotel RL Luxury Boutique Hotel coming soon. The Event Center and Climate Control Storage should be open in November of 2018, while the Hotel RL has an expected opening date in Winter of 2020. 

https://www.jeromekaram.com/copy-of-jmk5-holdings-galveston-llc

Screenshot of the page (it's no longer available)






 

[CrockpotandGravel]

Originally posted August 1, 2019 in this thread before all of my content were removed from the entire forum earlier this month. Reposting this throws off the flow of the thread (i.e. out of order),  still, it may be helpful for visitors to see what was previously discussed or shared before.

 

 

 

The RL Hotel is moving forward. This is part of the adaptive reuse of Falstaff Brewery at 402 33rd St, Galveston ( or 3302 Church St ).

There are recent construction bid documents online.

http://dodgeprojects.construction.com/Hotel-RL_stcVVproductId196840946VVviewprod.htm


 

[CrockpotandGravel]

An update on the adaptive reuse of Falstaff Brewery at 402 33rd St, Galveston.

Earlier this month, Events @ The Tasting Room ( https://thetastingroomevents.com ) was unveiled at the Falstaff Brewery building. The tasting room has been transformed into an events venue.

No renderings of the Hotel RL, but the article reports an estimated opening of next year.





From  the Galveston Daily News, October 12 (behind a hard paywall):


 

Room with a view: After two years renovating what would be his most challenging development yet, Jerome Karam has unveiled Events @ The Tasting Room in the original tasting room of the Falstaff Brewery building in Galveston.
 

“This project was by far my biggest undertaking,” said Karam, a Friendswood attorney and developer. “I’m incredibly grateful for my team of architects, subcontractors and executives.”
 

The team experienced delays and cost over-runs largely tied with preserving the historic integrity of the building, Karam said.
 

“But after 39 years of dormancy, I couldn’t be more proud to restore history and bring back the tasting room,” Karam said.
 

Karam last week showed off the elegant venue and also the many Falstaff mementos residents donated to its décor, making it one of the most emotional ventures he’s pursued, he said.
 

Everyone in Galveston has a “Falstaff Memory,” Karam said.
 

“I can’t emphasize how proud I am to be the developer and owner of such an iconic building,” Karam said. “People have stopped me everywhere I go to tell me some of their relatives worked for Falstaff and what the place meant to them. This building evokes emotion when people talk about it.”
 

Once a sizable employer, Falstaff Brewery, 3301 Church St., closed in 1981.
 

At least least four developers have attempted to resurrect the old building, which was built in 1905 and changed hands several times before Falstaff closed. So, when Karam acquired the building in 2015, there were skeptics. The Galveston Historical Foundation considered the building significant. Some neighbors considered it an eyesore, however, and have advocated its demolition.
 

City officials had long hoped redevelopment of the 330,000-square-foot building would spur renewal north of Broadway.
 

Events @ The Tasting Room features two large dining halls with authentic and original tile, a conference room with an 82-inch smart TV, bridal room, and a rooftop patio with nearly 360-degree views of downtown Galveston and the Gulf of Mexico.
 

Karam sought state and federal historic tax credits, which come with strict guidelines and requirements to adhere to the authenticity of the building, which contributed to some of the challenges and expenses, he said.
 

For example, when it was time to install the terrazzo tile at the venue, Karam and crew, to meet historic requirements, had to find the exact color of the original flooring, he said. No one made that particular color anymore, requiring a custom order. Karam describes the color as “a very expensive green.” There were many other challenges and requirements, but his team didn’t stop, he said.
 

David Watson was the architect and Pinnacle Construction was the contractor. Ashley Cole is vice president of JMK5 Holdings, which is the development firm over Karam’s many projects.
 

Along with the event venue, Karam has developed cruise-ship terminal parking and climate-controlled storage with plans for a boutique hotel at the site. He expects to hotel to be complete by the fall of 2021.
 

“We are full steam ahead,” Karam said.


https://www.galvnews.com/business/buzz/article_5c551688-5ee3-511f-b19b-4742ff4a6169.html

 

Edited October 31, 2019 by CrockpotandGravel

[CrockpotandGravel]

Photos of the rooftop venue Events @ The Tasting Room at Falstaff Brewery building in Galveston.

The old tasting room has been transformed into an events venue.

Photos are from the website.
https://thetastingroomevents.com

 

[k5jri radio]

Texasota makes a good point about those who accumulate things they don't have a use for now but keep them anyway. I knew an otherwise sensible person who rented three 10' x 20' storage units (he called the units FULL, FULLER, & FULLEST) to house the assortment of electronic parts and equipment he accumulated over the years at yard/garage sales and flea markets. At one point, he rented a booth at a local flea market, but seldom sold anything. Another person I ran across at a vintage radio swap meet had about 20 items displayed at his booth, none of them had prices marked and  none of them sold. A couple of days later, I sent him an e-mail inquiring about the price for one of the items he had displayed. He wrote back: "My prices are firm, I do not haggle. I will wait for the right buyer."

Two quotes: [1] "If you hold out for an asking  price you feel you have to get for any particular item, you will likely spend the rest of your life trying to sell it"; [2] "What something is worth is the amount an informed buyer is willing to pay."

Edited July 9, 2022 by k5jri radio
more complete information

[hindesky]

My nephew used to go exploring when he was a student at Texas A & M Galveston aka Sea Aggies. He told he went in here a couple of times.