Piece of La Crosse's Brewing History Comes Back to Life

www.wktb.com
La Crosse, September 6, 2007

An historic piece of La Crosse's brewing history is coming back to life. The Old John Gund Brewery bottling house located near Gundersen Lutheran has been transformed into more than 80 loft apartments.

Maintaining its rich brewing heritage, the development features brewery artifacts, exposed brick walls, a movie theatre, exercise studio, and business center.

Developers say one of the main goals was to maintain the building's rich history. "It was given to Gundersen Lutheran a number of years ago by the Sara Lee Corporation and they wanted to make sure since it was a gift that it was used to its fullest potential," says Chris Laurent, Gorman & Company.

The original Gund Brewery bottling house was first built in 1903. The building is now listed on the national register of historic places, based on the brewery's history of bottle washing and sterilization techniques. The total cost of the renovation project was nearly 14-million dollars.

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