Ram Restaurant and Brewery expanding to downtown Tacoma

—The Ram Restaurant and Brewery is expanding its footprint to downtown Tacoma. It has purchased the old Nisqually Power Station building in downtown Tacoma at 2416 S. C St.

Ram chief operating officer David Iverson confirmed the purchase, but declined to give many details, stating that the company was still working through the specifics of what to do with the location.

Iverson did say that the purchase was a long time coming for the South Sound-based company with restaurants throughout the country.

“The Nisqually Power Station was somewhat of an emotional purchase for us. The opportunity to own and preserve such a beautiful, historic building in Tacoma's Brewery District was too tempting to pass up, and it's something that we have been considering for some time,” wrote Iverson via email message.

One thing is certain, the windows need repairing. Iverson said the company was working on that. “We’ve received approval to do so from the historic commission and we are working to get that done,” said Iverson via message.

The downtown space appears to be more than 20,000 square feet. A newsletter from the City of Tacoma’s Community and Economic Development Department explains, “The company recently acquired the former Nisqually Power Station (1911) for adaptive reuse to add brewing capacity and a taproom to its popular chain of brewpubs.” According to the newsletter, an opening is planned for 2017. The document also noted, “Owner Jeff Iverson, Jr. is working with the City of Tacoma Landmarks Preservation Commission to reactivate the historic south downtown structure.”

This is the second large brewery development announced in recent months. The co-owners of 7 Seas Brewing announced in December that they will add a second brewery location downtown at a site that once held the Heidelberg Brewery. Construction is underway.

Additionally, Oregon-based McMenamins, known for its beers and hotels, is working on one project in downtown Tacoma that will restore the old Elks Lodge, but also has proposed a second project at The Old City Hall.

This story was originally published April 13, 2016 at 2:59 AM with the headline "Ram Restaurant and Brewery expanding to downtown Tacoma."