Beverly's Connolly Brothers Honored For Brewery Construction

BEVERLY, MA — A Beverly construction company earned an Excellence in Construction Award for its two-story brewery in Essex built on a flood plain next to a salt marsh.

The Massachusetts Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors honored Connolly Brothers, Inc.— a company which dates back to 1880 — with the merit award for the 15,000 square-foot building.

Selected as the design/build construction manager during the early stages of project conception, Connolly worked with the owner on site feasibility and budget estimating. Collaborating with Niemitz Design Group, Connolly produced the construction documents and secured the necessary town approvals and permits.

The brewery, located at 99 Main Street in Essex, sits on the site of an closed restaurant adjacent to a flood plain. The restaurant building was demolished and Connolly managed the construction process that involved a friction pile foundation system, structural steel frame and the installation of the brewery.

Traditional brewery construction methods were not allowed due to the salt plain, so Connolly Brothers designed a plan where the first floor was constructed 5 feet above grade and 1 foot above the flood plain. The elevated concrete slab can support 400 pounds per square foot.

The brewery features a state-of-the-art craft brewhouse, taproom, restaurant and beer garden. The Merit Award recognizes the overall excellence in project execution, craftsmanship, safety, innovative elements and challenges, and client satisfaction.

"Like a number of brewery stories, mine started as a basement operation. After some initial success, I knew my next venture would be creating a brewery on a larger scale," John Collins, chief executive brewer at Great Marsh Brewing Co., said. "I contacted Connolly Brothers and quickly realized the design/build model would allow me to streamline development of my new venture while allowing us to be more flexible and responsive to changes as we worked through design and construction.

"We couldn't be more pleased with the end result."

A five-generation family business established in 1880, Connolly is based in and operates throughout the New England region.