THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 10, 1995 TAG: 9502080179
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: Ida Kay's Portsmouth
SOURCE: Ida Kay Jordan
LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
A brewery on High Street? OK.
But a brewery across from the new Children's Museum? No way.
The micro-brewery phenomenon across the country has prompted City Manager V. Wayne Orton and others around the city to talk of attracting a brewery to the old Woolworth building.
That's just not the place for a beer joint - no matter how classy and upscale it might be.
Now I'm the first person who would like to see a restaurant with real German food around the corner. I certainly have enjoyed the beer at The Weeping Radish, a brewery in Manteo, N.C. But I honestly do not believe this city should try to entice a brewery to a site across the street from the new multimillion-dollar Children's Museum.
There are a lot of people in this region who would react negatively to a brewery in that location. They would not see a beer factory as a fitting complement to the Children's Museum and that would not be good for the image we have been trying to build as a good place for families to have fun.
Many other Downtown locations for a brewery are available and probably would be a whole lot more interesting for a brewery/ restaurant.
Why not go for the atrium at the former Max in the old Seaboardbuilding? Put the brewery on the first floor, fully visible from the Seawall and the Elizabeth. Food and beer could be served at tables on the second and third levels. That certainly would be the choice place - and it's already equipped for a restaurant. This location would be a magnet for river traffic and would seem to fit with the Vision 2005 plan to permit boats to dock at the foot of High Street.
Another location could be the now empty Signet bank building on Washington Street between King and County streets. The glass-walled first floor would be highly visible from the street.
One more possibility is the Pythian Castle on the corner of Court and County streets. Space could be a problem there unless the second floor was used for a restaurant.
All three of these places have parking in place for those who would drive to Portsmouth specifically to patronize a brewery. The parking spaces near Woolworth's are pretty much used up at night already by patrons of Cafe Europa and Lobscouser. Further along High Street, available parking serves the Commodore theater.
Actually, there are many uses for Woolworth's that could add to Downtown without damaging our family image.
For months, one group has been talking about using the building for an antiques and collectibles mall on the first floor with arts and crafts on the second floor. For some reason, city officials (including the manager) have resisted, although it is well-documented in Alexandria and Fredericksburg that the visual arts and good collectibles are excellent drawing cards for old Downtown areas.
Mind you, we're not talking junk. We're talking classy stuff that would enhance the image we'd like to have.
People will drive miles out of their way or make special trips to shop in such places. They always spend money. I know because I'm one of them.
Mainly, the Woolworth building needs to be an interesting place, not only to complement the Children's Museum and the TCC Visual Arts Center but also to attract people. Quality collectibles, fine arts and crafts would do that.
I'm sure the manager and other city officials envision big bucks coming in from taxes on the sale of beer. They see less tax coming in on collectibles and the arts. It's another case of pie-in-the-sky thinking - a smaller pie than horse racing or river boat gambling but the same sort of thinking.
Meanwhile, while city officials try to find a windfall instead of finding another brewery spot, nothing is happening to make the best use of the Woolworth building, which the owner wants to lease or sell. by CNB