An historical Manayunk building is getting a second chance at serving the public, courtesy of a local brewery. Source Brewing is turning a sprawling former bank building into its third location, reports Philly Voice .
The four story structure, located at 4334 Main Street, will give Source plenty of room to realize its vision of providing a superior dining experience for all ages and demographics. Source Brewing co-owner Philip Petracca tells What Now Philadelphia that the combination of the building’s size and Manayunk’s local flair made the location ideal. “We moved into Philly a few years ago and we were seeking a larger location that we could build a production space in.” he states. “Our broker introduced us to Manayunk and we fell in love with the location. Main Street is so amazing, and the groups within Manayunk love their town and are really supportive of small businesses. Then it was about finding the right building. We came across the building and we immediately saw that this was some place we could call home.”
The new location is the culmination of considerable searching. Petracca explains that the Source team dedicated over a year to finding the perfect place, saying “We’ve been seeking a location for the past couple of years. It took us a little over a year and a half to get this deal done.”
The expansive space will allow Source to focus on providing Manayunk customers with the best possible night out. Petracca states: “We have award winning beer and food, but for us the most important thing is the experience that the consumer has. This building gives us the ability to be really inclusive in welcoming everyone at the same time-young families, singles, adults, but giving everyone their own unique spaces within the same building.”
The Source team envisions each floor providing a distinctive experience for specific demographics. Petracca offers the buildings breakdown as: “The ground floor will have a gourmet kitchen, and a large room with multiple chef tables where we can do special events. The first floor is street level and there we’ll house our brewing operations. We’ll have a high end hotel lounge feel there. We’ll be opening it up to the community in the morning hours. We’ll have a full service cafe and breakfast items. At lunch we’ll start serving alcohol and have tapas/small plates. The third floor will be an elevated dining experience. We have the ability to do private events on that floor. The rooftop is going to be more playful, more welcoming to young families. We’ll have games and brick oven pizza and skylights. At night, we plan on staying open till midnight and we’re planning on bringing in a DJ.”
Of course, bringing this vision to life will take considerable time and effort. “The design has been completed.” Petracca states. “We’re currently in demo. We’re taking it down to the bare walls. The ground floor poses some unique challenges because it was originally a bank. The vault has 6 foot deep concrete walls. We’re bringing in all new wiring, plumbing. All the mechanicals will be new throughout the building.”
However, Source doesn’t intend to indiscriminately destroy an historic building. The team is committed to preserving and incorporating the bank’s unique atmosphere into the new concept. Fortunately, Source has considerable experience in that department. “This is our third renovation of an historical building so we’re experts in the process.” Petracca explains. “It’s always our effort to maintain the character of the building because that’s what provides the authenticity for the consumer. The ceiling has very intricate plaster details and we’re going through the process of renovating all of that.”
Manayunk will still need to wait awhile before experiencing Source’s distinctive offerings. Petracca states “We’re shooting to open in fall of 2025. The one thing we’ve learned with these historical buildings is it’s much more cost effective to knock them down, but it takes the joy out of the process. They take a lot longer to renovate so we’re allowing ample time.”
Source’s third location is certain to be well worth the wait. The building will allow the brewery to cater to both the community at large and hold private parties simultaneously. Petracca explains that is a large part of the building’s allure, saying: “In Fishtown we’re a little restricted because we’re in a small location. We’re really excited about this unique opportunity with this particular building because it allows us the opportunity to do special and private events while still being open to the community.”
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