News

Restoration brewing for Potosi landmark

Fund-raising effort: Group plans project for Potosi Brewery

by Craig Reber

POTOSI, Wis. - A venerable Potosi landmark that's an integral part of southwest Wisconsin's history is targeted for the architectural equivalent of a thorough physical.

Health care, however, costs money. A $28,900 fund-raising campaign is under way by the Potosi Brewery Foundation for the Potosi Brewery building that was built in the mid-1800s.

The purpose of the campaign is to hire a structural engineer, an architectural historian and an architect whose research will provide a blueprint for future restoration.

The Potosi Brewery Foundation was formed early last year with a goal to restore the historic landmark. The restoration project carries a price tag estimated at between $1 million and $5 million.

The building, listed in the National Register of Historic Places, was built in the mid-1800s and made beer until 1972. During its heyday, the brewery was Potosi's largest employer and the Potosi brand was well-known.

Five men, including Gary David, a Galena, Ill., woodworking artist, bought the property at auction more than two years ago. Grant County auctioned the property to pay for back taxes. The previous owners had done nothing with the building. Local history groups always have held out hope it would be developed.

David, Potosi village president and Foundation member Frank Fiorenza and others hope the site can be self-sustaining and restored for limited commercial development, including an eating establishment and gift and antique shops. Its use as a tourist attraction of historic interest also is being touted.

Recent historic-preservation legislation could help provide funding to make that possible.

Located on the Great River Road, the building is a natural place for a local or national brewery museum.

The structural engineer will document the existing conditions of the building. The engineer will make recommendations for stabilization and future treatment of the structure following guidelines and practices based on U.S. Interior Department's standards for historic restoration.

"A structural analysis is an absolutely critical step," Fiorenza said, in the restoration process. It provides a blueprint for any future restoration.

The architectural historian will document the history of the Potosi Brewery through maps, historic photos, newspapers, local histories, legal documentation, as well as other resources. From this, recommendations will be made on the appropriate target period for future restoration.

An architect will put together plans showing how a restored brewery can be used again to serve both the community and tri-state area. Historical accuracy is imperative.

"Tourists seldom visit one spot and go home," Fiorenza said, noting eastern Iowa, northwest Illinois and southwest Wisconsin all have attractions. "What we do here benefits other areas. The financial ties between southwest Wisconsin and eastern Iowa have existed for a long, long time."

Fiorenza emphasizes the Foundation is a non-profit corporation and that all donations are tax deductible. He adds the structural analysis study is critical for putting the Foundation in the position of applying for various grants.

A donor board will be established, and all contributors will receive recognition. An estimated $10,000 has been raised to date.

The sale of marketable items, including Potosi Brewery Foundation T-shirts and sweatshirts and ceramic replica Potosi Brewery bottles, have allowed the Foundation to meet daily operating expenses.

Fiorenza said volunteers have contributed "an awful lot" of hours to the project, about $7,000 in donated time.

For information on the Potosi Brewery Foundation fund-raising campaign, call Frank Fiorenza, 608/763-2017, or Sharon Bierman, 608/763-2481.

© 2001 Telegraph Herald