Banging Gavel Breaking Through Renovation Barriers At New Tinley Home

TINLEY PARK, IL — The string lights over the Banging Gavel beer garden have been glowing for two seasons now, but inside the historic building destined to be the brewery's long-awaited new home, progress is finally and officially in motion.

After some delays and complications related to financing and supplies, the partners behind Banging Gavel Brews are hard at work behind the scenes inside The Carl Vogt Building, 6811 Hickory St. Contractors are digging into essential work to transform the structure from its previous incarnation as a landmark, into a working brewery.

A painstaking process, but one the folks behind Banging Gavel believe will be well worth the wait.

"A lot of work is being done to update the building structurally at the moment to support the new use of the space," said Beckie O'Connor, Brand Marketing Director for Banging Gavel.

"We added new footing for load bearing in the basement of the building, we’re re-pouring the foundation floor, adding steel beams to the foundation and structure to be sure it is ready for commercial use."

Partners O'Connor and her husband Kyle (Business Development), Jim Richert (President), and Ed Richert (Secretary/Treasurer) started the brewery in 2014, naming it after Jim Richert's profession of practicing law. Jim Richert has lived in Tinley for 30 years; Ed Richert has lived in Orland for 40 years. Kyle and Beckie O'Connor live in the Beverly neighborhood of Chicago. They've been contract-brewing at Church Street Brewing in Itasca, and have long dreamt of a physical space to hold the big dream behind their brewery.

They purchased the building in 2017, and have encountered some typical — and not-so-typical — obstacles along the way. But they rolled with it the best they could, and outside, Banging Gavel fans can enjoy the beers fresh from a tap truck on a patio, with overhead string lights, live music, and a fire pit nearby. The construction fencing around the brewery's future home is a teaser that there's so much more to come.

Built in 1865, the Vogt Building comes with challenges for a business looking for a workable space, but also plenty of charm. As they take on the transformation, the Banging Gavel partners intend to preserve as much of the historical context and designs as possible.

"Since it is the goal to restore this historical landmark, we are making the effort to find inspiration in the interior design of the Italianate style from the mid 19th century," O'Connor told Patch. "In addition to refinishing the main hallway and beautiful original staircase, we’re incorporating design details in the finishing carpentry with the trim, and bringing in selected antiques to the space.

"Basically, anywhere it makes sense to bring in history to complement our modern amenities."

On the main level, customers will walk into the tap room and dining space, where the building's history and character will be on display.

"The tap room will have an old Brunswick style bar with mirrors and customs woodwork which will be a primary focal point in the building, bringing old, yet new character to the experience in the Vogt house," O'Connor said.

The bathroom tile, wallpaper, faucets and finishes are also inspired by the Italianate period, she added.

"I have visited museums, antique stores and have been provided historic resources to reference from our architects and local historians," O'Connor said. "It’s been so interesting to study and get creative with it!"

The second floor will host overflow dining and leave room for hosting some private events. Also on the second floor, they'll have a room called The Parlor, which will encapsulate the building's history and style.

A full food menu will be offered inside, with more relaxed offerings in the beer garden. Head Brewer J.T. Rea will continue putting his ingenuity to the test, experimenting with new beers and maintaining the ones supporters have loved over the years. Rea — who comes with a resumé that includes Chicago's Goose Island Brewing — has a unique background in biochemistry and science, and a deep love of craft brewing. Banging Gavel owners anticipate having 12 beers available on tap: a few mainstays, and others seasonal, Jim Richert said.

A few Banging Gavel beers are currently on tap at the beer garden — which you'll see them reference as bier garden — at 17400 S. Oak Park Ave., with the recent release of new beers Prop 65, a West Coast IPA, and Legal-Ease, a Helles. Also offered are Golden Ale ReDirect, an Irish Style Red dubbed Red-Handed, a Kolsch named Amicus Curiae, and others. They also offer four wines to choose from, and some High Noon seltzers.

The space is open Thursdays 5 to 10 p.m., Fridays 5 to 11 p.m., Saturdays 3 to 11 p.m., and Sundays 3 to 9 p.m. It's family and dog-friendly, and customers can order food for delivery from nearby restaurants. The beer garden will close at the end of September, and then all resources will pour into the interior.

They hope to have all inside work completed by January 2023, with a tentative opening of spring 2023. The beer garden has made all the difference in getting the word out about the brewery and its soon-to-be-local home.

"Simply stated: getting the inside completed would have probably been near impossible without the existence of the beer garden," said Richert.

O'Connor or Richert can often be found on the premises, either at the taps or sitting around the fire with customers.

"Going into this summer felt very different than our first, it felt as though we had momentum from the positive ground swell from the summer of '21," said O'Connor. "With every new visitor, we hear their excitement of the inside of our brewery opening. It’s years in the making! We can’t wait to bring this experience to Tinley Park."