PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Oozlefinch Craft Brewery is an adaptive reuse project that brings new life
to a once abandoned building on historic Fort Monroe. Work Program
Architects allowed hints of the building’s previous life to show throughout
the design, as salvaged materials were repurposed to help create design
elements throughout the space. For example, restored antique wood from a
local historic mansion found new purpose as the brewery’s iconic bar. An
expanded area includes a barrel room for aging beers, and there is outdoor
patio seating where customers can enjoy the ambiance of the Fort. Oozlefinch
Craft Brewery was named after the Fort Monroe legend of the “Oozlefinch,” a
featherless bird that Capt. H.M. Merriam allegedly observed in 1905 flying
backwards at supersonic speeds outside the Fort Monroe Officer’s Club.
