It’s officially public: the former site of  Fletcher Street Brewery will become Alpena’s newest venue for weddings and other special events.

The historic building, located on the Thunder Bay River on Fletcher Avenue, will become The Fletcher Street Depot, the vision of Joanna Cooper and husband Aaron Cooper, owners of As You Wish Gourmet Eatery in downtown Alpena.

The building sits where Alpena’s first passenger & railroad depot was located in the late 1800’s. At that point, downtown Alpena was home to numerous lumber mills, and the population was booming as settlers came to the area. Near the original depot was Alpena’s fire station (which certainly got its use as fires raged through the wooden buildings of downtown) and the Sherman House, one of Alpena’s oldest hotels & boarding houses.

Anyone walking along Fletcher Avenue can see evidence of the old Detroit & Mackinac Railway lines that ran along the river.

That original depot was in use until the new passenger depot was constructed on 10th Avenue in 1911. The current building was then built & used as a freight house.

While keeping with its historic industrial-chic vibe, there will be quite a few aesthetic renovations to the building, including adding fresh paint, staining floors, adding lighting, installing new chandeliers, and updating restrooms. Also in the works is renovation of the back area for both indoor and outdoor ceremonies.

In addition to its primary function as a wedding venue, there are other events currently in the books for the space, such as graduation parties, showers, and business receptions. And of course, As You Wish will offer their event planning and decorating services to those who rent the space.

How wonderful to see another building that holds a piece of Alpena history being revived and repurposed into a space that the community can use & enjoy– and  that can serve as a site of many more memories to come.

For booking enquiries, visit the The Fletcher Street Depot Facebook page.  A special thanks to Brianna Gould for providing information for this post!

Blog Downtown Alpena is written by Anne Gentry. Like the blog on Facebook here to never miss the news from downtown.