Smaller structures along the north side of the old Northern Breweries property on Lorne Street came down last week as part of a broader repurposing of the historic structure.
Despite the demolition crew’s work of recent days to relegate buildings to rubble, the bulk of the main structure is expected to remain in place to accommodate a new Wacky Wings restaurant.
“There are some parts to the building that need to get torn down, and there are some parts in great shape — or, nothing’s in great shape, but we’ll get it into great shape,” owner Craig Burgess told Sudbury.com earlier this year.
The intention is to retain various heritage structures, with Burgess noting that the brickwork in the building is “beautiful,” and that they’ll complement it with the same kind of wooden interior their shuttered downtown location had.
“Some areas we've had a hard time even getting access to because of the areas that need to come down, it’s just not safe,” Burgess said at the time, noting that they’d strive to retain as much of the historic building as possible.
The historic components may end up being more visible on the inside of the building than the outside, since they need to install proper insulation to the exterior, which will be covered up.
Prior work included removing pieces of the building which posed a safety hazard to pedestrians.
Wacky Wings’ prior property in downtown Sudbury was expropriated by the city to make way for the downtown arena/event centre project.
The old Northern Breweries buildings have been vacant for a couple of decades, and were initially sold to a developer who planned to turn them into condominium units as part of a project called Brewer Lofts. The effort never gained traction, and the property was sold to Wacky Wings earlier this year.
It’s anticipated that the new Wacky Wings location will open as early as next year, with Burgess noting that the goal is to reopen as soon as possible, with the only delays being regulatory hoops.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.
