Old Mt Vernon Fire Station To Become a New Brewery

A building in the Eastern Iowa town of Mt. Vernon that once served as the city's fire station has a new future. As the future sight of a new brewery.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that a group of local investors hope to transform the building built in 1969 into a six-tank brewery with around 4500 square feet. The name of the new establishment? The Old Fire Station. A little too on the nose? Perhaps. But many believe it will be a perfect fit in the city of Mt. Vernon.

Meridith Hoffman, a realtor with Iowa Realty and a partner in the new business told the Gazette that "there isn't anything like it around town. It's something people enjoy...having in their community." Hoffman acquired the building from the city of Mt. Vernon in 2018. The Gazette reports that the city was considering tearing the building down. It has been vacant since the fire department moved to Second Ave. SW.

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The project, which has been in the works for five years, was awarded a Main Street Iowa Grant for $100,000 on November 9th, according to the Gazette. It was one of just nine communities to receive such money from the state. Hoffman told the Gazette that the community wants the building to stay. "It's just a neat old building, and it's loved within the city. I think people just want to see something done with it." Hoffman noted that the new brewery will help embrace and revitalize the building's character.

The new brewery hopes to open by June of 2025.