are many speculations about the fate of the old brewery has been Schmidt. After a lively brewery employs about 400 people, she has sat vacant since 2004. Council member Dave Thune describes it as a “symbol of the Seventh Street community. We want to bring life and vitality back into the neighborhood”. When he heard of the development proposed by Jeff and Craig Cohen, who finalized the purchase of the 100,000 square-foot, 15-acre complex, in January, Dave thought this was a welcome opportunity. This project would be comparable to the Carleton Artist Lofts on University Avenue in St. Paul.

Their plan is an urban village called Brew City to create. Conservation of historic construction, they would renovate the castle-like structure, transformation into150 Live-work spaces for artists, a number of retail shops, offices, additional housing, and finally the addition of restaurants and a hotel. The project includes pedestrian amenities catering to basic needs such as local grocery store, cleaners, and theaters.

This 25 million dollar project is designed to preserve and revitalize this community symbol of the region. The area currently has a thriving arts community, yet affordable housing for artists is difficult to obtain. This project is to fill a specific need. The Seventh Street area of St. Paul is an area with a lot of potential described, and the Brewery Lofts can set the pace for future developments as well. The Cohen’s are also planning on incorporating green space and an environmentally friendly design into the project. Many challenges remain with the restoration of this unique structure, including the preservation of their caves, artesian wells and many historic artifacts.

Jeff Cohen is a nationally renowned Washington architect who is teaming up with his son Craig for this project. Some of his other noted developments include the Waterview at Bayside Portland Maine luxury condominiums, and Maine Lake Front Homes at Sanctuary Cove. He enjoys the creation of buildings, looking like they are part of the neighborhood. In his words: “I have a few projects with residential and other developed hundreds,” says Cohen. “They all involve the creation of first-class living space. The buildings developed, I have something I want to live in me.”


Fergus Falls Real Estate market. If you qualified for a Minnesota REALTOR

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