Commercial Architecture November 2017 - 11

FEATURE

Right. The trendy and chic St. Joseph Brewery and Public House in Indianapolis emerged from an
abandoned 1880s Catholic Church. The building had been empty for nearly 30 years. Photo: courtesy
Schmidt Associates

St. Joseph Brewery And
Public House, Indianapolis

Above. The sanctuary is now home to a 3,000-sq.-ft. establishment with dining space for about
125. The former altar was reconstructed from the original timber framing to support the weight of
the brewing operations-now fully in view of the dining area. Photo: courtesy Schmidt Associates

building fabric, causing accelerated deterioration in masonry and wood."
"Often, in an effort to improve energy efficiency and sustainability, people
will replace windows and furr-out original plaster walls with added insulation. We

historic buildings

he trendy and chic St. Joseph Brewery and Public House in Indianapolis emerged from an
abandoned 1880s Catholic Church. The building had been empty for nearly 30 years.

The church, however, is located in one of the oldest historic areas of the city. The area now

has a lot of foot traffic and a lot of restaurants and destination points.

have documented evidence for projects that have retained original single-glazed

For Wayne Schmidt, FAIA, principal, Indianapolis-based Schmidt Associates architects and

wood windows while still meeting aggressive energy-efficiency performance tar-

engineers, the building was a good candidate for reuse. "Buildings that aren't good candidates

gets," he said.

are probably the ones that were never good buildings to begin with. They weren't well designed

"Analyzing the configuration of the building and defining treatment zones

in the beginning, they're sort of pseudo-historic, and no one cares whether they're saved or not.

(hierarchy of significance) should be done in order to make informed decisions

Whereas a building like St. Joe, it was always significant. It was well done in the beginning, and

about alterations and modernizations," Bell continued. "For example, many his-

everyone wants to keep buildings like that around longer."

toric 19th century and early-mid 20th century buildings are not configured with

The reuse celebrates the facility's original design. The sanctuary is now home to a 3,000-sq.-

ceiling plenums. Trying to utilize HVAC systems with horizontal ducts and pip-

ft. establishment with dining space for about 125. The former altar was reconstructed from the

ing distribution may be incompatible and result in lower ceilings, hiding charac-

original timber framing to support the weight of the brewing operations-now fully in view of the

ter-defining interior features and conflicting with windows," he noted.

dining area. The bar construction includes reclaimed wood from the original church construction.

Philip B. Chen of Ann Beha Architects agreed on the importance of under-

Light fixtures were added that keep with lighting that would have been in the original church.

standing the building itself. Not understanding the context, the significance, and

The kitchen-along with other brewing support spaces-is located in the lower level of the

what it is that makes a building significant are mistakes. "All our projects begin

church to minimize the disruption of the sanctuary space. Finishing the space, a new stair was

with a rigorous research phase, so we can really understand the context, under-

constructed to access the original choir loft overlooking the dining areas below. The balcony

stand the building, both physical and cultural, really what is it that makes that

includes private dining spaces for groups and events. The renovation cost was approximately

piece of architecture important. With that understanding, then I think you can

$1.5 million.

decide how you can adapt, modify, or add on to that building without sacrificing
its character," he said.
"Then, I think, moving from there, some of the mistakes may be disrupting

The reuse did require new mechanical and electrical, but the roof was sound and not
contributing to water damage, Schmidt commented. "Had that been the case, it would have been
much more expensive to restore," he said.

that character, whether it's the scale. You could add an addition that overwhelms

The challenge becomes maintaining the original design integrity of the building, using new

that historic building or changes the context so radically that the building no

systems that the building was never designed to have in the first place," added Phil Medley, an

longer has the same relationship to the context and the setting. Very simply, you

architect and engineer with Schmidt Associates.

could make the mistake of removing or damaging the character, removing too
much fabric, removing something that really was significant. Then even more in

"I think the designer has to be humble and understand that the building is far more important
than making a contemporary statement," Schmidt said.

an abstract way, you don't want to create a false sense of history, to mislead people
commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

NOVEMBER 2017

COMMERCI A L A RCHI T EC T URE

http://www.commercialarchitecturemagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Commercial Architecture November 2017