City of Orange Township Announces
Opening of First Brewery
to Operate in Orange in Nearly 40 Years
photos credit: L+M Development Partners
Orange, NJ (August 2, 2019) – L+M Development Partners today announced the opening of Four City Brewing, an approximately 4,600 square foot craft brewery, as part of the 55 South Essex Avenue development in Orange. The opening of the locally owned brewery, expected this month, represents a milestone for the city, which has a venerable brewing history dating back to the early 1900s but saw its last brewer, Rheingold Beer, shut its doors in 1980.
“I welcome Four City Brewing to our Orange Business family,” said City of Orange Township Mayor Dwayne D. Warren. “Their commitment to the City of Orange Township is an example of the public/private partnership we all value, that continues to help us move Orange forward.”
We’re very excited about opening our brewery in Orange, NJ!” said Four City Brewing Co-founder Roger Apollon Jr. “The diversity of the town, the long history of brewing and our location right next to the NJ Transit Orange station were key factors in our decision to be here. We look forward to being a meaningful part of this vibrant community.”
“Given Orange’s rich brewing history, we knew from the outset that Four City would be a perfect addition to 55 South Essex,” L+M Development Partners Director Jake Pine. “We’re excited to welcome them in August and hope residents from the building, across Orange, and elsewhere in the state make it one of the top brewery destinations in New Jersey for years to come.”
Four City Brewing will offer a variety of styles including IPAs, stouts, sours and saisons. Named after the four “Oranges” (West Orange, East Orange, South Orange and Orange), Four City Brewing is operated by longtime West Orange residents Roger Apollon Jr., a teacher, Jeff Gattens, a mobile technology engineer, and Anthony Minervino, a firefighter. Developed over the last decade, the idea for Four City Brewing stems from the neighbors’ mutual interest in home brewing and trips around the world to sample craft beers. Their beer names, music and art in the taproom will reflect the vibrant local art and music communities.
Four City Brewing is the latest retail tenant to open at 50 and 55 South Essex Avenue, neighboring mixed-use buildings in the City of Orange Township. Formerly an unoccupied warehouse and coal storage facility, the development now houses 72 mixed-income rental apartments and nearly 10,000 square feet of ground floor retail and parking. L+M has established a strong retail curation track record in New Jersey, most notably in Downtown Newark. There, its renovation of the historic Hahne & Co. building includes an arts and cultural center operated by Rutgers University-Newark, Newark’s first Whole Foods Market and a Marcus Samuelsson restaurant, Marcus B&P. And at Walker House, the newly renovated historic NJ Bell Building, L+M has announced that the project will include Newark’s first climbing wall facility – Method Climbing – a coffee shop, and a brewery.
50 and 55 South Essex Avenue are located just steps from the Orange NJ Transit station and are integral parts of the transformation of Downtown Orange. Through the project, L+M has also established a significantly more pedestrian friendly path that extends past the freeway through Main Street. These improvements, including landscaping, widened sidewalks and additional street lighting, aim to increase safety for those traveling the corridor. Additionally, NJ Green Futures and Energy Star program requirements guided the selection of appliances and systems throughout the buildings to optimize energy efficiency in the buildings, ensuring continued green building standards.
Financing for 50 and 55 South Essex Avenuewas made possible by the City of Orange, the State of NJ HMFA and Bank of America, with design by Inglese Architecture + Engineering.
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