Hastings Brewery and Bottling Works
Hastings, Nebraska
Client: Owner/Developer, Cohen Esrey Development
Architect: Stark Wilson (SWD) Architects, Kansas City
Investment: The $8.1 million project was completed utilizing federal and state Historic Tax Credits combined with a HOME Investment Partnership grant from the Nebraska Department of Economic Development.
The Hastings Brewing and Bottling Works buildings at 219 W. 2nd Street in Hastings, Nebraska reopened in 2019 as The Brewery Lofts offering 35 unique apartments with large spacious windows, wood-style floors, granite-style counter-tops, huge vaulted ceilings, and interior brick walls.
Cohen-Esrey Development Group purchased the dormant buildings in 2015, developing plans to convert them into contemporary residences that would be both attractive and affordable. The developer’s self-declared mission combines historic preservation with affordable housing development that benefits persons of lower income. The project was recognized with the Nebraska State Preservation Award in 2019.
The 110-year old building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2015 which made it eligible for rehabilitation using federal and state tax credits. The building served as home to two significant local businesses – Hastings Brewing Company and Kauf and Rinderspacher (K & R) Food Products, Inc. – for more than 70 years. When Prohibition brought beer production to a halt, the spacious buildings with their characteristic smokestack were later used for ice cream production, meat packing and cold storage before eventually going idle.
