AUSTIN, Texas — Central Machine Works, a brewery and beer garden, officially opened on Friday. If you're driving down Cesar Chavez in East Austin, you can see the name written across the building, just as it was decades ago.
Back in the 1940s, the building was built as a machine shop that built parts for almost anything.
The original structure, for the most part, is still standing, with pieces from its time as a machine shop still preserved inside.
"This was an important part of this part of Austin," said Dhal Smith, the general manager of Central Machine Works, who said the owners wanted to preserve the heritage of the building. “We just want people to enjoy the place, and we just want the place to get the accolades.”
Inside the building, you can find tall fermentation tanks, rows of tables, a lounge area and the beer garden still getting its finishing touches in the back. A tap room and beer hall are also inside.
Dhal said the brewery is kid- and dog-friendly and he hopes to have community events there, as well as live music.
“It’s going to be a crazy unique place to Austin," Dhal said. “This is going to be, I think, pretty important for the neighborhood in terms of like … the multi-generational families that have been here for so long.”
During its grand opening on Friday, 76-year-old Patrick Bartosh and his brother, 73-year-old Kenny, had beers in front of them as they happily reminisced about their time inside of the building. They told KVUE they worked there as teenagers when it was a machine shop.
"Our dad built this building," Kenny said.
They said their father, Dan, opened the shop in the 1940s. They said he was the original founder, welder, machinist and more.
"Did-it-all type guy," Kenny said.
Growing up in Austin, the brothers said they've seen the change the city has gone through and they're glad the footprint of the building will be saved.
“It’s just nice to see that these people took the time to keep this place in the whole lot of the original condition," Kenny said. "In Austin … so many of the iconic buildings and businesses that have been here over the years have been torn down, demolished or otherwise would’ve went out of business.”
The brothers said the structure of the building looks almost exactly as it was decades ago.
"Just the history of the place is very important to us," Patrick said.
Some of the preserved pieces in addition to the structure itself include an 18,000-pound lathe that was used for turning large diameter metal pipe, the original main power switch and more.
You can find the brewery at 4824 East Cesar Chavez St.
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