Blue Ribbon Hall at Best place. Matt Jarosz talks about the Historic Tax Credit program.
The cavernous speakeasy on the lower level of Best Place.
The Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation held a social gathering at Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery on Tuesday. About 40 people came to drink beer, meet new board members, learn about Wisconsin's Historic Tax Credit program, and have a tour of unfinished areas of the massive building with the Jim Haertel, the mastermind behind the rehabilitation.
Our new President, Jason Tish talked about recent activities. Board Member, and professor of Architecture and Urban Planning at UWM presented some findings from a recent statewide study of the state Historic Tax Credit program.
Then we all took a tour of some dark and dirty areas of the 1880 building, part of the sprawling former Pabst Brewery complex.
Jim Haertel and his team offer great "Beer History Tours" on a regular schedule. Best Place (named for brewery founder Jacob Best, the brewery was later purchased by Frederick Pabst), is a historic rehabilitation success story that was financed in large part with the state and federal Historic Tax Credit programs. Wisconsin recently increased the state credit from 5% to 20% of qualified rehabilitation expenditures. Haertel says the project would likely not have happened without the program. Now, Best Place is positioned to be a significant component in a complex of publicly accessible venues closely associated with Milwaukee's important brewing heritage.
