100 Years Later, Portners Set to Brew Again in Alexandria

Mill Creek Residential, owner of the Modera Tempo apartment community in Alexandria, announced today the addition of Portner Brewhouse to its property in the Landmark/Van Dorn corridor. It’s located at 5760 Dow Ave.

Modera Tempo, a mixed-use community featuring 492 apartment homes and several restaurants, opened in January as a key piece of the City of Alexandria’s Landmark/Van Dorn Small Area Plan, a revitalization effort for the area. Portner Brewhouse will move into the ground floor of the community and become the centerpiece of the South Van Dorn and South Pickett Streets intersection. The brewpub restaurant plans a grand opening in June 2016.

“We opened Modera Tempo with the ambition of becoming one of the finest mixed-use communities in the Washington, D.C., metro area,” said Amirali Nasserian, vice president of development for Mill Creek Residential. “The inclusion of Portner Brewhouse to the stable of restaurants already on board is another step in that direction, further enhancing the living experience for our residents and the neighborhood, while generating sustainable value for the community on a long-term basis.”

An Alexandria-based location was a must for Portner Brewhouse, which is inspired by the South’s largest pre-Prohibition brewpub, the Robert Portner Brewing Company. It was headquartered in Old Town Alexandria from 1869 until prohibition was implemented in 1916.

The brewpub, which is being resurrected by two of Robert Portner’s great-great granddaughters, had been seeking a home since 2012 until discovering the mutually beneficial fit with Modera Tempo, according to the developers.

Starbucks and Smashburger are already a part of the Modera Tempo retail landscape, and Jimmy John’s will ope in the community later this year.

“We are already tremendously excited about the grand opening of Modera Tempo and thrilled with the vibrant edge it has brought to the Landmark/Van Dorn area,” said Mindy Lyle, planning commissioner for City of Alexandria. “Portner Brewhouse will continue to push the revitalization toward its planned transformation into a vibrant, walkable neighborhood that provides the lifestyle Alexandria residents expect. It’s another key piece of our vision, which continues to unfold right before our eyes.”

Modera Tempo, and restaurants like Portner Brewhouse, have acted as a catalyst for the Landmark/Van Dorn Small Area Plan, an effort to transform the area into a lively urban neighborhood on par with the booming Washington, D.C. metro-area market, the developers said.

“We are excited that Portner Brewhouse has found a home at Modera Tempo,” said Catherine Portner, president and co-founder of Portner Brewhouse. “We look forward to sharing Alexandria’s rich brewing history and future with the community exactly a century after the Robert Portner Brewing Company closed.”

In addition to becoming the home of Portner Brewhouse, Modera Tempo offers residents a walkable, transit-friendly lifestyle with access to numerous fast-casual restaurants and daily-use retailers blended with a host of unique, luxurious amenities. It is situated within minutes of the Van Dorn Metro Station, which provides quick, easy access to the many professional job centers in Washington, D.C.

Modera Tempo consists of studio, 1- and 2-bedroom apartment homes and lifestyle-enhancing amenities, such as a dog spa, yoga studio, social kitchen and bike storage.

PHOTOS courtesy of Mill Creek Residential and Portner Brewhouse.