Columbus firms get architecture awards Downtown brewpub set to open on North Fifth
Eight designs are recognized by the AIA
An upcoming Downtown Columbus brewpub has a menu that evokes the owners’ faith.
The Holy Trinity Brewing Company’s craft beer list includes names like Jesus Loves Blondes (a blonde ale), Sneaky Jesus
Eight building designs, ranging from a 750square-foot home to an arena, were recognized Thursday evening in the annual architecture awards from the Columbus chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
The winners were selected from 54 entries by a jury of out-of-state architects.
This year’s honorees are: h The Ohio State Bank building in Bexley designed by JBAD (formerly Jonathan Barnes Architecture and Design) received an honor award in the large project category. The 13,350-square-foot building cost $3.5 million.
Judges praised the design for its scale and details: “This is an accomplished project demonstrating skill in aligning interior and exterior design concepts on a commercial office project; not just a box with interior fit-out having no relationship to the exterior. The exterior fenestration and detailing represent significant attention to detail.”
h The four-story, 548-space Dublin Historic District parking garage design by Moody Nolan
(a Belgian tripel), Christ on a Cracker (an American wheat beer), and UK Jesus (a British brown ale).
Husband and wife co-founders Tim and Joann Mcfeely said they were drawn together 16 years ago by their Christian beliefs, along with a love of sports and craft beer.
It was those mutual interests that the
Tim Mcfeelys call the “Holy Trinity” from which the upcoming bar and craft brewery on North Fifth Street takes its name.
“That faith piece has really come in to help us make this jump” into brewpub ownership, Tim Mcfeely, a former nurse, said.
The couple secured the space in January of 2020, and initially planned to open in April 2020 opening (the building on North Fifth Street was built in 1920, and they wanted the opening to coincide with it’s 100th anniversary), but faced delays thanks to the coronavirus outbreak in the spring of last year.
“For the last year, year and a half it’s been ‘next month’ every month,” Joann Mcfeely said. But the couple is confident they can open in November.
The more than 10,000-square-foot space housed a dance studio and a gym prior to Holy Trinity, and the Mcfeelys have preserved elements of both. The dance floor has been carved up and the wood paneled flooring now makes up the surface of brewpub’s tables and bar.
The inside gives off an industrial feel reminiscent of many prominent Greater Columbus brewpubs, which means exposed brick walls and an open ceiling with ventilation shafts snaking over the tasting room.
The brewing equipment rises over a small barrier at the back of the tasting room floor.
The couple has not finalized plans for the backroom that housed the gym, but envisions another taproom or more brewery space.
Holy Trinity won’t have a kitchen, but Tim Mcfeely said he’s secured permission to use on street parking spaces for food trucks and has reached out to nearby bars hoping to let customers order from their kitchens.
In terms of beer, future customers “can expect a little bit of everything,” he said.
Rather than specializing in one or two styles, Mcfeely wants something on the menu for everyone.
“I’m a beer polygamist,” he said. “I don’t have a favorite style to drink, and I don’t have a favorite style to make. I really enjoy experimenting and trying different things.”
The couple uses an informal naming process for their brews.
“We always come up with a few names and then taste them and narrow it down,” Joann Mcfeely said. “Sometimes it’s funny how you drink a beer and the name pops into your head.”
She came up with the “Christ on a Cracker” title because the beer inspired a spontaneous image when she drank it.
“In my head I saw this cartoon Jesus skiing down a hill on a Triscuit,” she said.
Joann Mcfeely said she hopes no one is intimidated by brewpub’s Christianthemed title and beer list because people of all backgrounds are welcome. Holy Trinity is family-friendly and dogs are allowed in as long as they remain on a leash, she said
“We want people to know they don’t have to be afraid to come in,” she said. “We are there to serve everybody.” pcooley@dispatch.com @Patrickacooley