The plaque on the building (Wynkoop Street-side) reads:
Denver grew from its humble beginnings along the banks of Cherry Creek in the 1860’s, to a well-organized and prosperous city by the turn of the century. The “rail-age” of Denver’s history brought tremendous growth and turned thought form mining to merchandising.
Originally built to house the goods and supplies coming into and going out of Denver by rail, the warehouses along Wynkoop and Wazee Streets were busy distribution centers. Well-known architects, such as Frank Edbrooke, designer of the Brown Palace and the Oxford Hotel, were commissioned to build large, prestigious buildings that served not only as warehouse space, but also as corporate offices.
Characterized by elaborate brickwork, and Romanesque arches, sandstone trim and many times, granite foundations, the buildings of the warehouse area were built to create an image as well as provide large functional work and storage space. Even specialized warehousing such as the Littleton Creamery – Beatrice Warehouse of 1801 Wynkoop, employed decorative brick banding to enliven the windowless walls required for Denver’s largest cold storage plant.
Now, although restored for modern day uses, many vestiges of the past can still be seen. Evidence of the covered loading docks and rail spurs along the front of each block can still be found by careful observers. Interior treatment of Oregon pine and oak trim, presses metal ceilings and maple floors are architectural reminders of Denver’s grand past; standing evidence of the small mining town that grew into a great industrial and supply city.
The NRHP site lists the building as vacant, but that is not correct. The building has housed the Wynkoop Brewing Company since 1988, began by Denver's former Mayor and Colorado's current Governor, John Hickenlooper.
"Colorado'?s first brewpub, Wynkoop Brewing Company was founded in 1988 by a group of young entrepreneurs and urban pioneers led by former Denver mayor and current Governor of Colorado, John Hickenlooper.
Our brewpub’s hallmarks -- highly acclaimed small-batch beers, high quality food & service, the city’s best pool hall and our glorious 1888 building -- helped make us a major catalyst for the revival of Lower Downtown Denver.
Today Wynkoop Brewing Company is a beer-blessed Denver institution, a must-visit Colorado landmark and one of the nation’s most revered craft breweries.
We’re also one of the city’s best places for private and corporate events. We’ve hosted everything from Democratic National Convention parties to beer festivals, weddings and company conferences. (All with great beer and food.)
Today we'?re expanding our brewing efforts to better carry on our pioneering place in Denver and Colorado's microbrewing history. In 2010 we began hand-canning our craft beers (on a wiz-bang, table-top machine) so that we could deliver more of our ambitious, artisan-style craft beer to Denver area beer lovers. Look for our Rail Yard Ale, B3K Black Lager and Silverback Pale Ale in local stores and the area?s top bars and restaurants.
In late 2011 we expanded our brewery for the first time in nearly 15 years, by adding two 20-barrel fermenters to our brewhouse and creating a special new room for our famed open fermenters. In July of 2012 we'll add two more of these fermenters. With this new capacity we are creating a flood of rule-breaking new beers -- from barrel-aged treats to sour beers and new styles - that help us honor the work of our original brewer, the late and very great Russell Schehrer. (The Brewers Association's annual Innovation Award is named after our beloved Russell.)
Our pioneering brewpub is housed in the glorious J. S. Brown Mercantile Building, built in 1899. The Mercantile Company was a cornerstone of the young Denver economy and one of the city’s most impressive early buildings. Its hardwood floors, thick timber pillars and pressed-tin ceilings are still in place today. Miners, ranchers and city folks walked this building looking for goods to furnish their Western adventures and frontier homes.
In 1899 our main floor served as the Mercantile’s original showroom. Today it’s home to our main bar, restaurant, brewery and kitchen. On the south side of our main floor is our Mercantile Room, now a renovated banquet room replete with high ceilings and expansive arched windows. The giant metal door you see by the main bar? It was once the door to the building’s main vault. Today it holds a different sort of valuables: our brewers and their office. The second floor is the home of Wynkoop Billiards, arguably the city's most elegant pool hall. We have 22 pool tables, two private pool rooms, dart lanes and a bar serving most of the same acclaimed beers you find downstairs.
This floor also houses some of our most popular banquet rooms, and the entire floor and pool hall are available for private functions. The backbar on this floor was rescued from the original tasting room of the old Tivoli Brewery, a famed Denver brewery located at what is now the Auraria college campus. In our basement you’ll find the serving tanks for all of our beers, and we now hand can our beers down there, too. The Impulse Theater is also on our basement level and welcomes grinning crowds to its hugely popular improv-comedy shows." (from (
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