When a tiny Methodist church that once espoused temperance gets a $5 million resurrection as a brewery and taproom, it is enough to make some in Milwaukee take to the choir loft and belt out a hallelujah.

That is ostensibly what Mayor Tom Barrett will do Thursday as he offers up his annual exhortation on the power of design to lift the City of Milwaukee, otherwise known as the Mayor’s Design Awards.

The Pabst Milwaukee Brewery and Taproom, which marked a return of the brewery to Milwaukee last year, revived what in the 19th century was the First German Methodist Church, a modest-sized Cream City structure. Now, the storied structure has been given a new life with a bright white interior, intimate seating in the choir loft and a giant, neon “Pabst” sign that hangs overhead, casting a heavenly glow over those gathered to raise a glass.

The brewery, which is part of a larger, long-term redevelopment of the former Pabst brewery complex, now just called The Brewery, is one of 20 projects that Barrett will honor for enhancing public spaces, contributing to the fabric of neighborhoods or restoring or preserving existing treasures in the urban landscape.

Bader Rutter’s new home at 1433 North Water Street in Downtown Milwaukee was also one of the developments given the Design that Grabs You – Major Projects award.

Barrett will present the awards Thursday at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s School of Architecture and Urban Planning, 2131 E. Hartford Ave. A pre-reception is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.; the awards will be presented at 5:15 p.m. and a reception will follow at 6:15 p.m.

Read the full article as recently published by Mary Louise Schumacher of the Journal Sentinel here.

Read the “Eyes on Milwaukee: 2018 Mayor’s Design Award Recipients” article as published by Jeramey Jannene of Urban Milwaukee here. Another article recently published, “Inside the New Bader Rutter” is also found here.