Another cool project is in the works for Bellefonte. To go along with all the growth and development over the last decade, some local investors have purchased the old National Guard Armory property with plans to transform the property into a brewery and restaurant.
The 7.5-acre 1081 Zion Road property was sold to CUZ Holdings LLC of State College from the Bellefonte Area Industrial Development Authority for $950,000 on May 2, according to the county recorder of deeds office.
The borough announced the sale in a press release that said the purchaser “plans to transform the property into a first-class brewery and dining destination while honoring the historic and architectural covenants and features associated with the property.”
The property does have a storied history. Built in the 1930s, the former home of Troop L of the Pennsylvania National Guard site was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989.
Three buildings sit on the property. According the NRHP, the original administration building and horse stables were designed by American architect Joseph F. Kuntz in the Colonial revival style. A concrete annex was added after 1950.
An NRHP registration form filed on Nov. 7, 1989, states, “This armory has excellent integrity. Both buildings retain most of their original exterior and interior features, even though the stable is now used for storage. The only plan changes have occurred in the administration building’s basement, where additional storage space was needed. In addition, the siting has retained a predominately rural character.”
In the early 2000s, the National Guard moved to the State College Readiness Center and the property went to the market. Bellefonte Borough bought the property in 2014 for $755,000.
Borough Manager Ralph Stewart told The Gazette the borough is “excited about the possibilities associated with this project — a stronger and synergistic tax base, the building of Bellefonte as a destination and seeing the successful adaptive reuse of older buildings.”
This story appears in the May 12-18 edition of The Centre County Gazette.
