Historic Downtown Magazine Fall 2022

Historic DOWNTOWN

SanAngelo

BUILDING DOWNTOWN • ONE BLOCK AT A TIME

Published by Grace Media for Downtown San Angelo, Inc.

www.downtownsanangelo.com

Welcome to Historic Downtown San Angelo, where a mix of modern art and a Western heritage create a socially inclusive experience. Explore, play, dine, celebrate, shop, and relax with your family and friends. The words used to describe Historic Downtown San Angelo are as numerous and diverse as the people who live and visit here.

Downtown San Angelo, Inc.

24 West Concho Avenue San Angelo, TX 76903

Phone: 325-655-2345

Fax: 325-655-1234

E-mail: director@dtsa.org

Keep up with all things Downtown by following us on social media!

Del Velasquez Executive Director

Monica Ramos Assistant Director

If you frequent downtown San Angelo, you may have noticed the once rather secluded Firefighter’s Memorial City Park is now bustling, along with the block around it, thanks in large part to the recently renovated and transformed Old Central Firehouse and its beautiful patio that overlooks the park.

ow known as both Old Central Firehouse Bed and Brew and Old Central Firehouse Pizzeria and Taproom, the building started out as one of the very first firehouses in San Angelo. It was built in 1929 and retained its original purpose until 1976.

Years later, in December of 2017, Jody and Michele Babiash learned that the property, then owned by a non-profit organization, was for sale.

“Jody saw the building was for sale and asked me if I wanted to take a look at it, and when we walked upstairs, we just thought it was such a beautiful space and would make such a great B and B,” explains Michele.

Michele says she always thought it would be fun to bring an iconic building back to life, and finding this building gave her that opportunity. However, it took a lot of research, work and studying before they were able to open the bed and brew in 2019, with the pizzeria and taphouse opening a year later.

“When we bought the building, it didn’t look like a firehouse at all. It was a little neglected, which was nobody’s fault. It was a huge building, but one thing we wanted to do was make it look like it was a firehouse again,” she explains.

One thing we wanted to do was make it look like it was a firehouse again.

hey were met with many challenges. After purchasing the building, Jody and Michele had high hopes of finding a plethora of firehouse memorabilia, but there wasn’t any. However, the one thing they did luck out in finding was an old rendering of the building drawn by a talented local architect, Henry Schmidt.

“We literally fell in love with this rendering and thought it was exactly what we wanted the place to look like,” says Michele. “It was a big project. It was intimidating. I think people thought we were crazy, as they probably should have. But we really felt like this is where God wanted us to be and what he wanted us to do.”

rom the firetruck outside, to the cutout shapes left in the ceiling where the firepoles used to exist, to the bay doors left as windows and the firefighting exhibit wall, it is clear Jody and Michele have put much thought and care into bringing their vision to life.

Michele says since opening their business, many community members have come in to remember the good old days and share stories about the old firehouse.

“Really, the fun part about this building is the outpour of people stopping by to tell us their stories about relatives who worked here when it was a firehouse. A lot of people have donated things too,” shares Michele.

She explains that the upstairs part of the building is where the bed and brew rooms exist, and she and Jody have chosen décor that preserves the history of the building with a modern twist.

“Upstairs, we have tried to keep the integrity of the firehouse. You can see original photos of the building and who used to work here. We have a lot of people in town with great memories of this building, and we don’t want to ruin that for them,” she says.

To this day, there are still people who visit the building to enjoy reminiscing about the old days and looking at the photos.

ow, they can also gather around a table with a beer from the self-serve tap wall while waiting for a hand-crafted fresh-baked pizza. And, if they would like, they can reserve a room and spend the night in one of five uniquely themed rooms.

We really felt like this is where God wanted us to be and what He wanted us to do.

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Learn more about the Downtown San Angelo, Inc.

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Downtown

Window Depot of West Texas

505 N. Chadbourne St.

Triple Pane Windows & Doors

Casa Decor

39 West Concho Ave

TALA BUTTERFLY: hand painted no two pieces alike

Heritage Haus Clocks

230 S Chadbourne St.

Fine Clocks, Ceiling Fans & Gifts

Fashion Forward Boutique In The Heart of Downtown Sassy Fox

34 East Concho Ave

Eggemeyer’s General Store 35 East Concho Ave

Sweet & Hot salsa is home made in-house with the finest blend of ingredients.

Miss Hattie’s Restaurant 26 East Concho Ave

Mesquite smoked ribeye (aged 21 days)

K & W Design 31 West Twohig

Custom Wood, Metal, and Plastic. Special Orders.

South Chadbourne St.

Angels Boutique

East Concho

Southwestern

Modern Bohemian Fashion