As the first brewery licensed to craft beer in Massachusetts, Harpoon Brewery already had an established reputation and clientele. “The owners then wanted to have a beer hall where they could celebrate the people that enjoy drinking their beer,” says designer Hansy Better Barraza. “They wanted to expand on the experience.”
That experience includes a fully functioning brewery complete with tours through the brew house. With the venue’s popularity, the owners needed a space for guests to taste and view the production before and after their tours. “They were really specific about not taking away from the experience of the beer,” says Barraza, who is a founder of Boston-based Studio Luz Architects.
Drawing inspiration from traditional German beer gardens, the expansion of the property keeps the focus on the brew. “What’s really unique about beer halls is that they are a very communal experience,” Barraza explains, describing German-style long cafeteria tables and simple menus. “What we took from the beer garden is the collection of people,” she adds.
Set in the city’s Seaport district, the building itself has a plain exterior that blends into the industrial neighborhood. The team started with a simple red canopy and a sign to indicate the entrance. “A lot of the clientele are young, following craft beer, and part of an underground sort of culture,” says Barraza. “They wouldn’t want a very expressive and in-your-face type of façade.”
Through the entry, a large glass wall crafted from Harpoon beer caps greets visitors. The wall carries through the first floor to the lobby, and then moves upstairs to the beer hall itself. “Our task was to be discrete about the place but also make people aware that something is happening in there,” Barraza says. Beyond a machine for filling up growlers, the expansive beer hall comes in view.
Along with a communal drinking space, the hall comprises a lounge area, retail space, bar, and pretzel bar. Local fabricators produced the long tables with salvaged butternut wood from Vermont, and a metal craftsman created the massive circular chandeliers that light the space. A reclaimed oak floor complements the metal accents in the columns and ceiling. “It looks like a huge living room with a scaled distortion,” she says. “Everything is all open.”
The beer production area and Boston harbor are visible from the large windows in the hall—the harbor and skyline can also be seen from each bathroom. “One of the things we really argued for was the same quality of views from both bathrooms,” says Barraza—a feat in layout the team worked for in order to highlight the hall’s locale.
Along with the views and the beer, Harpoon also showcases its product at one of the longest bars in Boston. “One of the most challenging things for this project is the fact that the brand was already there and established,” says Barraza. “We found an aesthetic that would complement the brand, versus competing with it.”
Photos by John Horner
