A little more than eight months after Hartford’s City Steam Brewery closed its doors, the chances of seeing the onetime downtown Hartford landmark reopen under new ownership will soon become far more remote.
City Steam closed April 1, brought down by a post-pandemic sales slump and a flood that closed the venue for several months.
Since then, co-owner Jay Du Mond has hoped to find a new operator, or collection of operators, to buy his furnishings, fixtures and equipment, and occupy the three-story, 15,000-square-foot space at 942 Main St., which housed the brewery and restaurant for 44 years.
If a deal can’t be reached by the close of December, Du Mond said, he’ll have to sell off the furnishings, fixtures and equipment in the space and move on.
“I think if we don’t have a firm commitment by the end of this month, we will probably have to go to auction,” Du Mond said.
Du Mond could have gone to auction months ago and walked away. He said the brewery’s furnishings, fixtures and equipment have appraised at around $200,000. He has hung on for a new operator or collection of operators, partially out of sentiment.
“I want this space to continue on as a viable entity,” Du Mond said. “We’ve been here 44 years and it’s truly a landmark and I think it would be a shame to have the business just completely disappear. We could have an auction and get rid of everything. We have no debt and no legal obligation to the landlord, but I would like to leave them with a viable business.”
City Steam still supplies its canned craft beer to about 1,500 restaurants, liquor stores and supermarkets. But that doesn’t require a physical space. It contracts with a Stratford brewery and uses distributors.
No matter what happens with City Steam’s former location, Du Mond is hanging onto the name. He suggested a new owner could take the name Brown, Thompson and Co., after the department store that once occupied the space. That was the original name Du Mond used for the brewery before it became City Steam.
Du Mond also isn’t locked into a lease at the Cheney Building, a historic Romanesque-style structure in the heart of downtown that also houses the Residence Inn hotel.
City Steam’s landlord, Massachusetts-based Jamsan Management, only charges 5% of sales for use of the space. That was a pretty good deal for the building owner when sales exceeded $4 million a year, Du Mond noted. Now, it is costing nothing. Jamsan has taken on the cost of insuring and heating the space, Du Mond said, and is cooperating with City Steam’s search for a new operator.
The biggest financial pressure to sell furnishings, fixtures and equipment is the roughly $25,000 in annual personal property taxes due to the city, Du Mond said.
City steam is an interesting blend of seating and varied offerings on three floors. There’s a comedy club set up in the basement. An ornate series of staircases and balconies connect the main floor bar and restaurant to the third-floor kitchen and dining area.
There is a games room with billiards tables, private function rooms and interesting alcoves for intimate dining.
Portions of the main dining areas are accentuated by red-painted tin ceilings amid dark-wood décor. There are antique flairs, like a heavy chandelier taken from a now-demolished Hartford theater and, in one corner, an ornate glass ceiling that once graced an area mansion.
Du Mond said there has been a steady stream of interest from would-be operators, but most seem daunted by the sheer size of the 700-seat venue. He has encouraged them to think of using discrete areas of the building. The main bar and dining room have about 200 seats, he noted.
City officials are hoping to see new operators take over the space before its furnishings and equipment are sold. That, they worry, would make it much harder to fill the large commercial space in the center of downtown.
Hartford Economic Development Director Patrick Pentalow said he has provided tours to multiple potential users through the City Steam space. The size of the space has been a challenge, he acknowledged, but he feels it could be carved up into a number of complementary restaurant and entertainment concepts under different operators.
Pentalow said the space is a prime candidate for city and state business assistance and development funding.
“I think the city and state would be willing to put some financial support behind it for the right operator,” Pentalow said.
Jay Du Mond can be reached at 860-881-4164.
