WHAT IN THE world is happening in South Marquette?
The Courtyards, Don Durley’s much awaited bar/restaurant is opening soon. So is Drifa, the beer cooperative over near South Beach, and now comes word that the old Michigan Carpenters and Millwrights building on Division Street has been bought and will be converted to a brewery.
Not happening this year. Nope, the union is still waiting for their new building out on US 41 to be finished, but once they move out, the renovation of the building can begin. The expectation is that the brewery will open its doors in the summer of 2020.
The buyers wish to remain unnamed for now but they are out-of-staters with long ties to Marquette and NMU. Excited to be back and to revive a classic old building. Most of the inside will be gutted because offices will need to give way to a bigger space for the brewery.
The building was constructed back in 1850 and was originally known as the Byce/Pendil Building. Its exterior walls are two feet thick.
“We looked at buildings in Duluth and Superior,” one of the owners told us, “and we just didn’t feel it. Then we came to Marquette and it was different. It felt right. We drove through South Marquette and saw the building and fell in love with it. And it had just gone up for sale.” Perfect. The deal closed in February.
No name for the brewery yet. The brewmaster, part of the ownership group, has extensive experience in the business.
How many breweries can Marquette handle? Apparently at least one more. And by the summer of next year, South Marquette–or “SOMA”–might be able to sponsor its very own pub crawl.