BRIEF HISTORY OF OUR BUILDING

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From 1904 to 1917 the current site of the SBC housed the Seattle Bar.

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During Prohibition it became the the Seward Theatre. Not a very popular name with the locals, it was changed to the Liberty Theatre in the mid-1930s.

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In 1943, a large fire destroyed many downtown buildings including the original building on this site. After the fire, the Liberty Theatre relocated one block North but has since closed its doors in 2013. 

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A businessman named Charles Teckleburg rebuilt the current SBC building at this site in 1943. It became Moody's Mercantile during the 1940s, complete with rental rooms upstairs hosting many of Seward's working ladies of the evening. 

 

In the mid 1940s, the Alaska Steamship Company, who shipped its last passenger to Seward  in 1954, set up office space on the main floor. 

 

From the late 1950s until 2005, the space was occupied by the Elks Club who had a thriving business on all three floors. In 2005, the Elks Club sold the building to an Anchorage resident who revived and reconstructed the second floor for The Harbor Dinner Club for two years. 

 

The building was abandoned in 2007, and sat empty until a complete remodel and rebirth as the Seward Brewing Company in 2012, headed by Gene and Sandy Minden.

 

In 2014, the Mindens sold the newly opened business to Seward locals and current SBC owners Erik Slater and Hillary Bean.

 

Many items from the remodel have been repurposed. Original beams from the 2nd floor have been recreated into bar tables. The old exterior siding can be found on the front of the bar as well as the west wall. The original maple flooring was refurbished and can be found on the main floor as well as the upstairs.  

 

The original Seward Theatre seats can be found in the waiting area. During the remodel, an original Alaska Steamship Logo was uncovered on a sealed window and now hangs by the elevator.