History

The Pumphouse Brewery and Restaurant is housed in the original Will Lugg Building. William Lugg was a prominent businesman in Longmont during the early 1900's. The building was erected at the corner of 6th Ave. and Main St. over what was previously a wood and coal storage and sales yard.

The Lugg building was initially used as a garage and repair shop before 1928 and was known as the Ford Garage. In 1921 it was renamed Power Motor Company by E.W. Power and M.M. Mahaski. In November 1921 C.L. Cleland and R.L. Vorbeck purchased the business and it became the Cleland Motor Company. In the late 1920s Mrs. Ollie R. Boggs leased the building and opened a "high class, up to date roller skating rink": Fairyland Roller Skating Rink. Standard Oil of Indiana leased the building in 1930 and remodeled it for a service station. It was a large station in its day and was referred to as a "Standard Super Service Station" (S.S.S.S.). Mr. Lugg operated the station himself.

J.W. Rankin purchased the Lugg Building in 1935. Mr. Rankin built his business (Rankin Chevrolet) into the largest dealership in a 6 state region. Rankin Chevrolet was sold in 1941 to Bob and Dick Troxell and operated under the name of Troxell Chevrolet until 1951.

In 1951 brother-in-law Douglas Wills and Oscar Hajek, two entrepreneurs from Detroit, purchased the dealership and changed the name to Wills and Hajek Chevrolet. In 1958 they purchased Longs Peak Motors (Oldsmobile), moved it to the Lugg Building and sold both Chevrolet and Oldsmobile under the same roof. After several years of success and expansion, a new building was constructed for the dealership, and the Lugg building was sold to Firestone Tire Company. Firestone sold tires and serviced cars until 1991, and then leased the building to a real estate office and a western wear store. In 1995, four engineers (tom, Dennis, Dave and Craig) bought the building with great plans to build and operate a brewpub.

For the next year the building went through a complete remodel to occupy the Pumphouse Brewery and The Downtown Gym. Most of the original architecture was left intact, qualifying the building as a historical landmark. The Pumphouse was opened May 18, 1996 and has become known for its unique design, award winning handcrafted beers and delicious food. We have since added the Red Zone Sports Bar which serves the same food and drink, has the same friendly staff, but a more lively atmosphere.