New Brewpub Planned For Easton P.A.

Stepping out on to the Mount Vernon’s second-floor balcony, new building owner Troy Reynard envisions a handful of tables overlooking Sixth and Northampton streets.

“This could be the hottest table in Easton,” said Reynard, standing in front of a faded, chipped mural of a Guinness advertisement on the wall.

Already the owner of College Hill coffee shop Cosmic Cup, Reynard has set his sights on converting the city landmark into the Two Rivers Brewing Co. and returning the building to a bit of former glory.

Reynard purchased the four-story building at sheriff’s sale for just over $125,000. He and his wife, Kathy, and longtime friends Brad and Judy Nelson are preparing to design the building’s extensive renovation and secure the necessary licenses to operate a brewpub.

Short-term plans are to open the first floor as a bar featuring taps only from area breweries such as Weyerbacher, Bethlehem and Allentown Brew Works and River Horse, followed by a restaurant in order to establish some working capital for the brewpub, Reynard said.

Reynard envisions situating the brewpub on the second floor at the back of the building on an existing concrete-reinforced floor, with eight fermentation tanks located below on the first floor. He said it’s likely a portion of the second-floor wall along South Sixth Street would be removed to bring in the brewing equipment. In that case, the wall would be replaced with large windows offering a view of the brewing activities, he said.

The kitchen and bathrooms would be at the rear of the first floor with seating for about 90 on the second floor. Aside from grain storage on the third floor, there are no immediate plans for the expansive third and fourth floors.

New stab at new life

The building's been vacant since a former restaurant and bar closed in spring 2004 inside the one-time 44-room hotel built in 1855.

Others have tried to bring it back to life.

Developers Vince Tarsi and Sean Lavery in 2008 planned to convert the building’s first floor into a restaurant with 19 hotel rooms on the upper three floors. The city was able to secure some state funding, but the project largely fell victim to a battered economy.

Reynard purchased the Mount Vernon sight unseen and was understandably nervous about its condition. The city codes department, for instance, had ordered the developer to cover empty windows with plywood.

“It looks bad now, but there’s actually a lot of good in the way the demo went,” he said.

The upper floors are gutted down to the studs, but all the doors and trim remain stacked neatly in what used to be tiny boarding rooms. Opening transoms and skylights remain on the fourth floor. The demolition lends itself to easily running new infrastructure, Reynard said.

He has no illusions about the investment and work needed. A construction timeline will depend largely on what the building allows after a detailed walk-through with the project architect, Reynard said.

Licenses needed

The group is actively seeking a liquor license and will eventually apply for a brewer’s license, which costs less than a liquor license, according to Reynard. The Two Rivers Brewing Co., already complete with logo, is a far less ambitious and costly than the previous development, he said, adding they will need to rely less on bank financing than Tarsi and Lavery.

Reynard and his partners plan to try some creative financing as well.

Reynard said the group would like to find 100 people willing to invest $1,000 dollars each that will be repaid in beer over several years. Details are pending.

The Reynards and Nelsons first struck upon the idea of a brewpub during last summer’s Belgium Comes to Cooperstown beer festival at Brewery Ommegang in New York. Reynard said he shelved any plans for a brewpub, instead focusing efforts he would later abandon on a new coffee shop in Allentown.

The group later opted to pursue a brewpub, researching brewery equipment and a possible brewmaster — who Reynard declined to name — when the Mount Vernon came available.

Character intact

Although in poor condition in some areas, tin ceilings remain on the first floor, the wooden bar needs only some attention and features like the former hotel’s front desk remain. Reynard said he could have purchased a newer building in the suburbs for the same amount, but it would have lacked the Mt. Vernon's personality.

“Easton and Easton’s history will be a big part of the project,” Reynard said. “I would just hate to see a building like this get razed. It doesn’t deserve it."

Mayor Sal Panto Jr. said the city will do what it can for the project, such as pursuing state grants, although much of that funding has been cut. The city could apply for casino revenue from Monroe County like it’s done successfully twice before, he said.

The redevelopment authority in 2010 received a $450,000 for a proposed brewpub in the Weller Center building. That project fizzled, but the money remains.

Panto claims another brewpub proposal is floating around. If it doesn’t materialize, the city could ask the state to apply that money to the Mt. Vernon, he said.

“I consider the Mount Vernon a great project and a great bridge between the Downtown and West Ward,” Panto said.