Two Harrisburg residents hope to transform this dilapidated building into the city’s first distillery since Prohibition.
In 2015, a new brewery and beer garden are slated to open in Midtown Harrisburg. If two city residents have their way, a distillery will be added to the mix.
Business partners Alan Kennedy-Shaffer and Stanley Gruen plan to open Kennedy Spirits, a distillery that would produce liquors such as whiskey, vodka, gin and rye. If all goes well, they hope to open in the historic “Carpets and Draperies” building at 1507 N. 3rd St. in mid-2015.
“We hope to be the first distillery in Harrisburg and Dauphin County since Prohibition,” said Kennedy-Shaffer, a former attorney for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board and founder of the community group Harrisburg Hope.
Next month, the city’s Planning Commission and Zoning Hearing Board will weigh in on the proposal, which will require a variance as that area is not zoned for industrial uses. In addition to the production facility, the plan for the distillery includes a fully renovated building with a tasting room and a bar.
Kennedy-Shaffer said he considered several options that would not have required a zoning variance, such as locating along the N. Cameron Street industrial corridor or in the suburbs. However, he said he rejected those ideas because he is committed to Harrisburg and to Midtown, where he lives. He also believes that a small-batch distillery would fit well into the continuing revitalization of the neighborhood.
“It’s in a perfect location,” he said. “There’s plenty of parking around, but a lot of people will just walk from Midtown or even downtown.”
The three-story industrial structure was built in 1910 as a factory that manufactured carpets, draperies and related products. The dilapidated building has sat empty for more than a dozen years, passing through a number of owners. It currently is owned by Mechanicsburg-based Mussani & Matz Co., which bought it in 2007 for $190,000, according to Dauphin County property records.
Sale of the building to Kennedy Spirits LLC will be contingent on the company receiving its zoning variance from the city, said Kennedy-Shaffer.
Kennedy-Shaffer and Gruen said they have several investors interested in the project, but hope to secure others as they expect the cost of the building renovation to exceed $1 million. They also are looking for qualified candidates to serve as their master distiller.
Both partners said they see synergy between their proposed distillery and other businesses that will open soon in the same neighborhood. Zeroday Brewing Co. (formerly Alter Ego Brewing Co.) expects to open early next year at the rear of Midtown Cinema at 250 Reily St., while the Susquehanna Art Museum will open a block away in January. The Millworks, which includes a farm-to-table restaurant, a beer garden and artist studios, also will debut early next year across from the Broad Street Market.
“So far, the community has been extremely supportive and encouraging,” said Kennedy-Shaffer. “Most people welcome the prospect of drinking spirits made right here in the city of Harrisburg.”
Currently, Kennedy-Shaffer and Gruen are collecting signatures from neighbors to demonstrate support for their business.
For the past five years, Midtown residents thought that a new federal courthouse at N. 6th and Reily streets might act as a catalyst for the neighborhood, said Gruen. But that project, he added, has been delayed indefinitely, necessitating new ideas to spur the local economy.
“We want to add to the neighborhood,” he said. “We hope this will bring life to the street.”
