MARQUETTE - A local lawyer has plans to return a historic building back to its original splendor.
Karl Numinen has purchased the former brewmaster's castle on Meeske Avenue in Marquette and will spend the next few months renovating it into a law office.
"It's going to be great as a law office. I'm going to put it back to the splendor that it once had," Numinen said. "This is an iconic building, it makes a statement. It's a significant building for a law office."
Built in 1894, the structure is one of the last remaining buildings from the Upper Peninsula Brewing Co. complex, which closed in 1916. It was the home of brewmaster Charles Meeske and also housed the offices of the brewing company. The structure is on the Michigan Historical Registry and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. Also remaining from the extended complex is the sandstone horse barn, now part of Jilbert Dairy.
Since the brewery closed, the building served a variety of purposes, most recently the offices the late Bill Pesola, a local businessman, and his wife, Kathleen, who also did restoration work on the property.
"I want to commend the preservation that Bill did and pick up where he left off," Numinen said.
The two-story structure has 18-inch thick Marquette sandstone walls and stained glass windows, which will remain intact during the restoration. The original woodwork, including oak molding and fireplace, will also remain.
"The woodwork in the building is just spectacular," Numinen said.
There will have to be some structural repairs to the building, including to the floor, which has cracked and sunk over the years. Numinen is also planning to upgrade all the utilities, including heat and electrical, and add a state-of-the-art computer system. But he is doing all of this with the history of the building in mind.
"The building will be authentic to the period it was built but we'll have the latest technology for our law office, designed to be respectful for the era in which it was built," he said.
He also plans to work with an interior designer to make sure the furniture added after the renovations matches the style of the building.
The gardens surrounding the building, which include a pond and fountain, will also receive an upgrade to return the grounds to their former "beer garden" glory with the help of a landscaper.
"It can be -and it will be -brought back to its beautiful potential."
Numinen has not set a move-in date.
Claire Abent can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 250. Her e-mail address is cabent@miningjournal.net.
