McMenamins Inc. has signed a lease to develop a brewpub and hotel on the Port of Kalama waterfront. The Port of Kalama board of commissioners approved the lease at this week’s regular commission meeting. The new facility is expected to be open for business by the end of 2017.
The new McMenamins destination will include a 40-room hotel, meeting rooms, gift shop, restaurant, brewery, and rooftop brewpub with river view as well as a smaller 500- square-foot pub a short walk away at the Port of Kalama’s Ahles Point.
“This is happy news for Kalama and the entire region as we expect this new establishment to bring jobs and tourism to area,” says Alan Basso, president, Port of Kalama board of commissioners. “This McMenamins location—at a breathtaking spot right on the Columbia River—offers a new destination for travelers and tourists who may have never stopped in Kalama before. We expect an economic boon for the entire community.”
With a long history of reimagining interesting spaces, McMenamins will incorporate Kalama’s Hawaiian heritage into the design of its buildings, which will be modeled after the historic Pioneer Inn in Lahaina, Maui. Similar architecture can also be found today in Kalama in an 1870s structure that was the Northern Pacific Railway’s hospital. John Kalama, originally of Kula, Maui, lived in the area as an employee of the Hudson’s Bay Company. The Kalama River and the city both bear his name. Descendants of John Kalama are members of the Nisqually and Warm Springs Tribes.
Architectural planning will commence immediately by the same firm that designed the Port’s new administrative building and interpretive center, Collins Architectural Services. After the design is complete, the Port of Kalama will construct the building shell and exterior, parking area and landscaping, and rough-in electrical and mechanical features of the building. McMenamins will design and construct all interior components of the facilities.
One of McMenamins’ signature trademarks is the incorporation of a love for historic buildings and artwork in their establishments. Several McMenamins businesses are long-storied structures on the National Historic Register with paintings, murals and artwork as focal points. The McMenamins Kalama facility will honor the town’s roots with unique architecture and visual touches.
A small town with a rich history, just a 30-minute drive from Portland and its international airport (PDX), Kalama is attracting business attention for good reason:
- Location, location, location
- Easy access to Interstate-5, rail, river
- Booming business community
- New commercially-zoned property under development
- Quality recreation
- Friendly small-town appeal
- Collaborative, business-friendly culture
The small pub a short walk from the main hotel/brewpub.
