Canal Park’s first brewpub nears completion near Lakewalk

• Canal Park Brewing Co.

The Canal Park Brewing Co., nearing completion in Canal Park, was designed to have the industrial look of nearby buildings, but with a “modern twist.” (Clint Austin / caustin@duluthnews.com)
• Architect’s rendering

An architect’s rendering of the completed Canal Park Brewing Co. shows the lake view its patrons will enjoy. (Courtesy Wagner Zaun Architecture)

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What: Canal Park Brewing Co.

Where: 300 Canal Park Drive, Duluth, the former site of Duluth Spring Co.

Project: Construction of a micro-brewery, pub and restaurant

Why it’s unique: While there are other brewpubs in Duluth, this will be the first for Canal Park and the only one in the city with close-up views of Lake Superior.

Owner: 300 Canal Park LLC, formed by the Kavajecz family. Some of the family members also co-own the neighboring Canal Park Lodge.

Size: 8,000 square feet

Design: The building, which is long and relatively narrow, is positioned with the bar and restaurant on the end facing the lake. So with the building’s expansive windows, patrons will always have a view of the lake. The brewery will be in the other end of the building facing Canal Park Drive. It will be viewable to passersby.

The site’s industrial history has been incorporated in the design, with red brick, concrete and red steel siding that’s mixed with wood inside.

“We wanted an old but new industrial look that blends in with Canal Park,” said Luke Kavajecz , a spokesman for the owners. “We wanted it to fit in and look like it had been there a long time, with a modern twist.”

General contractor: RJS Construction Group, Superior

Architect: Wagner Zaun Architecture, Duluth

Project cost: $3½ million plus land and environmental cleanup costs.

Financing: Sterling Bank of Chetek, Wis., and a Small Business Administration loan

Timeline: Construction began in fall 2011 and will be completed in mid-September. The targeted opening is mid-September to early October.

Status: Finishing work is under way and brewery, kitchen and bar equipment is being installed. Some steel siding remains to be installed as well as landscaping and blacktopping the lot.

Constructions jobs: About 150, mostly local workers.

Cleanup costs: Before construction could begin, contaminated soil had to be cleaned up. The contaminants, mainly lead from old car batteries, stemmed to the first half of the 1900s when the site was used as an industrial dump, Kavajecz said.

Of special note: Included in the plans is installing a paver walkway that will run from the street to the Lakewalk, between the new brewpub and the Canal Park Lodge, which the public will be able to use.

Tags: canal park, business, food, restaurants, construction