Brewery, $5M mixed-use project spur surge in Quakertown

Two unrelated, significant projects in Quakertown are signaling a renewed fervor in rejuvenating the borough and its downtown.

The Proper Brewing Co., a restaurant, banquet hall and brewery, is slated to open this summer inside the former Palace Theatre building at 117 W. Broad St.

Meanwhile, a restaurant is expected to anchor the new Quakertown Gateway building, a multimillion-dollar mixed-use project by developer David Halliday set for The Triangle – an underused parking lot that is considered a key entryway to the borough’s downtown. The lot is on Route 313 (West Broad Street) between Third and Fourth streets.

Work began April 6 in preparation for The Proper Brewing Co. to open a farm-to-table restaurant and small batch, on-site brewery inside the Palace Theatre.

The Proper Brewing Co. owners Kris and Brian Wilson of Richland Township plan a summer opening for their new venture inside a space where silent movies once entertained patrons.

A 4,000-square-foot, 250-seat banquet hall and stage are planned, along with an 80-seat restaurant, bar and brew pub, Kris Wilson said. Steel brewing tanks will be visible from the street.

“We plan to brew beers with flavors of the seasons, and our beer will be sold for consumption at the restaurant and bar,” Kris Wilson said. She said there were no plans to bottle beer for large-volume take-away retail sales.

Wilson said she and her husband have been in touch with brewers in Doylestown, Perkasie and Lansdale and were surprised by the support for their new venture.

“Local brewers are a community. They really help each other,” Kris Wilson said.

Aiming to keep things as local as possible, organic produce and ingredients for the menu from nearby farmers would be used to fashion the menu, Kris Wilson said.