CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Blackhorse Pub & Brewery has confirmed plans to build a brand new 6,600-square-foot brewhouse and event space in the vacant lot behind the current locale.
Owner Jeff Robinson told Clarksville Now they hope to be up and running by May 2024, with construction expected to get underway within the next few months.
Changing concept
The concept has been in motion for nearly a decade, with the original site plan sent to the city around 2016. However, that plan never came to be, with Robinson noting the city had asked him to hold off at the time due to sewer infrastructure work. Eventually, it led to a lawsuit, but Robinson called it “water under the bridge,” explaining that they were able to expand the business in another area, citing the success of the brewery in Alcoa.
“I did the planning for it in 2015,” Robinson said. “We no longer needed to build a significantly larger brewery here because we did that elsewhere, but we still wanted to build a building. The lot has been vacant since the tornado, and we looked at some different uses for it over the years.”
Robinson told Clarksville Now that Blackhorse settled the bulk of the lawsuit with the city about two years ago, securing the land and gaining the ability to build another building. After that, Robinson said he went back to the original plans and decided to arrange the new building as an event space featuring a brewhouse.
“We had to reevaluate our plans to make sure we knew what we wanted to do and make changes to the architectural and engineering plans and wait for the post-COVID economic thing to settle down a bit and get back to normal,” Robinson said. “We get a lot of calls for parties and events at the pub that we can’t handle, so it seemed to us that there is a market for that.”
What’s in The Brewhouse
The new brewhouse will have seating for about 145 people, with 45 of those folks in a bar and reception area on the ground floor that will share space with the new brewery and a catering kitchen.
“We could do two different events of two different sizes on one night or one larger event,” Robinson said, adding that the entrance to the building will be on North Second Street.
Robinson told Clarksville Now the building is currently being called “The Brewhouse,” since that’s what it has been referred to for nearly a decade.
“That name has just stuck with it as it’s gone through the process because our architectural plans have changed substantially from being a brewery with some offices over it to being an event space that has a little brewery in it,” he said. “It’s just easier for everybody to keep calling it the same thing,” Robinson said with a chuckle.
Construction plans
He confirmed that the new building will be built by Providence Construction, with work expected to get underway within the next few months.
“I’m hoping that from the time we start it will take right at a year. It’s actually kind of complicated in there because it’s kind of a two-step process. The first step, as part of our agreement with the city, we’re working with the Clarksville Gas & Water Department to make some drainage and utility changes back in that area. So, you could call that phase one, and we’ve got to get that done, and then we’ll roll out of that into phase two, which will be the construction of the building.”
At an Industrial Development Board meeting on Feb. 8, it was revealed that the estimated project cost is $2.38 million, and that Blackhorse has applied for a 20-year TIF. The $350,000 TIF is within the Civic Plaza District and was approved at the meeting. Robinson explained that they are now working through that process and that it’s an exciting time for Blackhorse.
“We’ve come a long way since two years ago, when we were all shut down with COVID, and it was pretty grim. It’s turned around, and it’s all looking pretty positive.”
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