CROWN POINT -- All it took was beer to breathe life back into the historic building at 211 S. East St.
Tim Walsh and Dave Bryan plan to turn the 6,600-square-foot structure into a microbrewery, restaurant and offices called Crown Center.
Bryan, who owns Bryan Florist & Greenhouse, and Walsh, of Walsh Financial services, also plan to resurrect the Crown Brewing Co. name, borrowing from the old brewery that opened on Goldsboro Street in 1895.
A former boiler room for the old Lake County Jail and sheriff's house, the building has had a number of owners since the county moved out.
Thirty years ago it was SOB's Speakeasy, a restaurant that retained a Prohibition-era atmosphere, requiring customers to give the password "Sons of the Boss" in order to enter. The restaurant closed in the 1980s.
Meals on Wheels bought the building in 1991 and put it up for sale 18 months ago, after moving to a new building.
"We have an accepted agreement with Meals on Wheels to purchase the property," Bryan said.
The red brick building, in the downtown historic district, is flanked on the south by the Old Sheriff's House and jail. To the north is Centier Bank.
The Redevelopment Commission on Monday voted to reimburse half of the nearly $78,000 total renovation cost.
More than $40,000 will go toward reinforcing the 75-foot brick chimney in the center.
Construction should start early next month with the restaurant opening early next year and the brewery some time in the spring, Walsh said.
Crown Brewing will be a whole production brewery selling craft brew by the bottle and to restaurants in the area, Bryan said. The microbrewery will offer a tasting room and tours. A landscaped outdoor food court will surround the chimney.
"We have a brewmaster with 20 years' experience, a friend of ours originally from this area, coming from California," Bryan said.
"We're looking at making the brewery a tourist stop for Crown Point like microbreweries in other parts of the country that draw high-end clientele, similar to wine aficionados," Walsh said.
The restaurant will be leased by a local restaurateur, looking to move to the new location, but Bryan is not saying who.
"It think it's going to do well," Lake County Tourism chief Spero Batistatos said.
"The meeting attendee, conventioneer or sports delegate isn't looking for a chain restaurant. They're looking for a unique food and beverage experience synonymous with the community."