Mixed-Use Brewpub & Residential Building Submitted for Historic Review

An Important Milestone

The Tangled Roots brewpub on Washington Square has reached an important milestone. The project is being built by a partnership of CL Real Estate Development and local investors, Jeff and Kelly Pohl. The new building will be in the historic downtown district and any exterior building changes in the district are subject to review by the City of Washington’s Historic Preservation Commission.

CL Real Estate Development has submitted the application with the design concept to the Commission. Once approved and a Certificate of Appropriateness is issued, the new building is one step closer to construction.

“We are delighted to work with the City to move this important development closer to reality,” said Peter Limberger, Chairman of CL Real Estate Development.

Anchored in History

This is the first official release of renderings of the exterior of the project. Though the design is modern, it is anchored in history, inspired by the founder of Washington, IL, William Holland, who settled there in 1825 while he was working for the Federal Government as a blacksmith. Holland built a horse-powered grist mill in town, which then became a defining institution that tied together the farmlands and farmers in the surrounding vicinity.

 “Holland’s Mill tethered the local farms to the town and provided a place for the community to come together and flourish.” said Tangled Roots Brewing Company CEO, Blake Rohrabaugh, “We are creating a new Tangled Roots Washington institution to bring the community together.”

Project Background & Renderings

The Commission’s review ensures that any historical features on the property are appropriately preserved and that new buildings fit well in the context of historic Washington Square while differentiated from the older, existing buildings.

The $7-8 million project involves the removal of the non-historic, existing 1950s single-story buildings and replacing them with an upscale, two-story mixed-use structure with a Tangled Roots Brewing Company brewpub on the first floor and residential units and a rooftop beer garden overlooking the historic square on the second floor.

Co-owner, Kelly Pohl, comments, “I’ve dreamed of a rooftop bar from the moment Jeff and I bought this building twelve years ago. This surpasses even my wildest ideas of what we could accomplish. We are so grateful for this opportunity to impact our hometown in such a positive way. Thank you to all who have helped make this possible – our partners, CL Enterprises, the city council and administration, and especially the people of Washington.”

The rendering shows the new building as it will be viewed from Washington Square: a two-story sensitively scaled building with large storefront windows on the first floor and the rooftop beer garden on the second floor. The height of the building matches the neighboring buildings to the south and east. Details of the project include black masonry, copper, and decorative highlights. Selective interior demolition is underway, with construction of the project to start this summer.

CL Real Estate Development’s Chairman, Peter Limberger comments, “Washington has strong support for dining out and gathering but needs more venues. A destination venue like Tangled Roots will draw people from all over. CLRED is focused on bringing out the potential in our small downtowns and this project will be a catalyst for more activity in downtown Washington.”

CLRED & TRBC Background

CL Real Estate Development is a part of the family holding company CL Enterprises family owned by Peter Limberger and Inga Carus. The company focuses on “Small Towns-Big Ideas” and uses award-winning design and architecture to create downtown developments using the unique context of their communities. Local Washington investors, Jeff and Kelly Pohl partnered with CL Real Estate Development to bring this exciting project to their community. The project architect is Lohan Architecture and interior designer is Aria Design Group, both from Chicago.

Tangled Roots Brewing Company, another company of the CLE group, is a proud producer of Farm to Foam Beer, taking hops grown in Northern Illinois and turning them into their award-winning beers. They presently operate four restaurants in Ottawa, Lockport, Glenview, and DeKalb with three under development in LaSalle, Washington, and Aurora.