Whisky distillery, cellar door pitched for heritage site
A FORMER brewery and home to the Coogans furniture factory would be redeveloped into a distillery, cellar door, bar, restaurant and function space under new plans lodged with council.
A development application has been lodged for 247 Elizabeth St with the Hobart City Council for partial demolition, alterations and change of use to dwelling, community meeting and entertainment, general retail and hire, food services and hotel industries.
The building is vacant, but previously an antique furniture shop and was the factory for Coogans furniture for most of the 20th century.
Coogans sold the site last year for $ 2.55m to NSW- based owners 12 Stones Pty Ltd.
The DA by Tasmanian architectural firm Cumulus Studio proposes to redevelop the site into a mixed- use building consisting of a distillery, cellar door, bar, restaurant, function space and one threebedroom apartment. The building is listed as a heritage place by both the Tasmanian Heritage Council and the Hobart City Council.
The application said the cellar door and tasting area would showcase various Tasmanian whiskies and the restaurant would have capacity to seat up to 50 people, with a separate function space that could be opened up for larger gatherings.
Visitors would be able to view the distillery operations from a fourth floor platform.
A heritage impact assessment said the site was home to inns and breweries of various names from 1843 to 1911, when Coogans leased the building from the Cascade Brewery.
The proposed hours of operation would be 10am to 6pm, seven days a week.
Public comment on the application closes on November 9.