Riverside's historic Fairmount Park Armory moved another step closer to becoming a craft brewery and beer garden on Tuesday after the City Council approved a $2.73 million construction contract.
The council approved an agreement with Cal-City Construction Inc. of Cerritos to renovate the 12,000-square-foot building, which has been mostly closed for several years and used only for occasional events.
The city has a lease agreement with Thompson Brewing Co. LLC, which plans to turn the building into a family-friendly gathering space with a beer garden, event spaces, live music, art events, cornhole and other recreational and community activities. Thompson Brewing also operates its flagship location on Indiana Avenue in Ward 5.
The Armory renovation is one piece of a broader master plan for Fairmount Park's historic core, which also calls for rebuilding the park's bandshell, reconfiguring the golf course and closing two streets to reduce cut-through traffic.
The work is expected to take 450 days after the city issues a notice to proceed – a construction window of about 15 months.
Built in 1959 as a military maintenance facility, the Armory sits on 4.67 acres at one of the main entrances to Fairmount Park. The building has a large vaulted interior, exposed beams, a kitchen and restrooms, but has needed renovations to meet current building codes.
Altogether, the project is expected to cost about $3.28 million, which includes the $2.73 million construction contract, a $273,236.20 contingency reserve for unforeseen conditions or design changes, and another $273,236.20 for permits, testing and inspections. The city is funding the project with $2.25 million in grant and restricted-program funds and a $1.03 million supplemental appropriation from the Regional Parks Special Capital Improvement Fund.
The city received three proposals for the project, with Cal-City ranking first after a staff evaluation that considered qualifications, experience, methodology, references and price. Cal-City's original $3.99 million proposal was negotiated down, and the project scope was reduced by removing the pickleball courts that had initially been included in the request for proposals.
