Plain Spoke Cocktail Company
Project Scope: Bar & lounge
Location: Madison, Wisconsin
Architect: Angus-Young Architects/Engineers
Designer: Charles Barrows
The process of turning a former coffee shop and downtown office into a new brewpub in a 100+-year-old building, just a block away from the state Capitol is challenging anytime, but the 2020 pandemic and subsequent civil unrest turned it into a true adventure. The construction of the Plain Spoke Cocktail Company involved a coordinated series of renovation work over a seven-month period within three connected buildings on King Street in downtown Madison.
The project involved converting the second floor of a former Ancora Coffee shop into a new bar for Plain Spoke Cocktail Company. Located above Young Blood Brewing Company, the renovation of a second-floor suite began at the end of the demo phase for the bottom floors. This involved a limited amount of demolition, the installation of new walls, the relocation of doors and frames from the second floor, new flooring, and mechanical upgrades. Once this work was completed and the former real estate firm was relocated, the third phase of the work, the creation of the new Plain Spoke Cocktail Company and its event space could begin.
The work on the 5,000-square-foot second floor included a total makeover of the space, new bathrooms, and the creation of both a new bar and a private event space for approximately 40 people.
This project was recognized by the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Wisconsin as a 2020 Gold Project of Distinction.