Brewery/restaurant to open soon

Ormond Beach Observer
Neighbors

You’ll be able to enjoy a freshly-brewed beer but you won’t be able to get your car fixed at Ormond Garage Brewing, a restaurant and brewery soon to open in the former Ormond Garage at 48 W. Granada Blvd.

Business owner Keven Wakefield hopes to open in early July and has hired a brewer who previously worked at Persimmon Hollow Brewing in DeLand.

The building was constructed in 1919 as an extension of the larger and more famous Ormond Garage on East Granada Boulevard that burned down in 1976.

Wakefield sought a special exception at the June 13 Planning Board meeting to install a 4-foot, lighted sign that will extend from the building, as well as keep the historic-looking garage signs. The board approved the request unanimously.

Wakefield also owns Grind Gastropub and Kona Tiki Bar and his landlord is Wivigeco Inc., owned by Bill Jones, who has refurbished several buildings in the West Granada Boulevard area. Jones also owns the garage, and it has been restored in recent years.

Ormond MainStreet Director Julia Truilo supported the signage request in a letter to the Planning Board.

“The Ormond Garage is a building that speaks volumes about Ormond Beach’s past,” she wrote. “It is a direct connection to the nascent racing culture that began here in the early 20th century. Unlike its wooden brother on East Granada, it has survived the ups and downs of history and remains one of the town’s visual icons.”

Dorian Burt, project coordinator for Jones, said in the special exception request that Jones has received a state Department of Historic Preservation Award for the restoration of the building.