Savage Craft Ale Works, a craft brewery, involved the renovation and addition to two historic structures including the former Brookland Fire Station & City Hall building, 430 Center Street, West Columbia, constructed in 1925 and the former New Brookland Jail, 426 Center Street, West Columbia, circa 1908. Both buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the New Brookland Historic District in West Columbia.

 

The existing two-story 3,000 SF Fire Station structure is a Gothic Revival Style load bearing masonry structure with wooden floor framing and wood roof framing. The existing windows are steel frames with single pane glazing. The building was converted into a tap room on the ground floor in the space of the former fire station fire truck bays, while the former city hall space on the second floor was restored and utilized for private dining, offices and meeting spaces. A new 5,000 SF addition off of the back of the building provides additional room for a microbrewery, roof top terrace, elevator, stairs and restrooms. To allow for access from the addition to the former City Hall space, an opening had to be created in the existing masonry to allow for connectivity. The roof terrace overlooks a biergarten, fire pit, and stage.

 

The existing painted brick and pre-cast details were pointed up and repainted, the steel window units were cleaned and painted and former bricked up openings were opened and windows installed to match the historic windows. The large pointed arch openings that originally were doors for the fire trucks were lost long ago. A custom wood and glass infill was designed and installed to recreate the look of the original doors on building. In the taproom, a portion of the original fire station was incorporated in the form of salvaged wooden sectional door panels which were repurposed into community tables. Specialty craftsmen refinished the panels and placed into frames, then covered them in a protective epoxy coating so they could be imaginatively reused in this high-traffic space. In addition, all of the original heart pine flooring on the second floor was refinished and kept intact.

 

The existing one-story 630 SF Jail Building was converted into a commercial kitchen to support the brewery and tap room.  Windows were repaired and restored and a Center Street front door and Center Street windows were designed and installed to match the original windows and door in the building.