Lafayette’s long-dormant grain elevator and silos property could soon be resurrected in the form of a new brewpub.
The plans mark the latest attempt in recent months to bring a modern touch to the arts-minded city’s historic enclaves amid inevitable growth surrounding Old Town.
The 4,032-square-foot, two-story building will hold a brewery and restaurant space aptly named “Feed and Grain,” according to officials.
The plans must be approved by the planning commission and the City Council. The planning commission is scheduled to discuss the plan Tuesday.
Details other than the substance of the business remain scarce, though preliminary plans suggest the site will be an homage of sorts to the location’s once-rural beginnings.
“We wanted the building to look like it fit in with the neighborhood,” said Laurence “Renzo” Verbeck, of Verbeck Design Studios, the architecture firm behind the eatery’s updated design, said Friday.
A tribute to the city’s agricultural roots, the site — located at 816 E. Baseline Road — sat in limbo for years while there was confusion over who, exactly, owned certain pieces of the property.
The plan’s official unveiling on Friday followed in the wake of a frustrating past 1 ½ years for the site. Clashes between the city and the former property owner, exasperated by confusion, essentially left the structures frozen in time.
“A lot of the architectural style and massing and structure reflect the historical use of the site,” Verbeck said. “That’s the basis of the architecture. With respect to why we picked that site, it’s right downtown and within walking distance to downtown and neighborhoods.”
In May 2015, Lafayette resident Anji Redmond submitted a third-party nomination to the city asking that the grain elevator and three tall silos be designated a historic landmark, despite the former property owner’s objections.
The potential sale of the property on the east side of town drove Redmond to submit the application. The property was listed for $560,000 and included the Feed & Grain building, but not the business, which closed last year, according to the online listing.
As part of the application process, residents helped Redmond trace the background of the grain elevator and silos. Research suggests the grain elevator was completed before the 1920s — possibly between 1905 and 1910, when the Louisville grain elevator was constructed. The Lafayette elevator was shut down in 1992 by the owner.
Anthony Hahn: 303-473-1422, hahna@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/_anthonyhahn
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