West Michigan Eatery Demolished One Year After Closing

The restaurant closed in March 2023.

After sitting vacant for over a year we're finally seeing some action happening at the now-closed restaurant, but I didn't expect the news to be quite this extreme! Like wrecking balls and bulldozers-extreme.

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I had no idea the beloved eatery was scheduled for demolition in the first place. Did you?

Personally speaking, I have fond memories of enjoying a quick appetizer or one last beer with my parents before they dropped me off at the airport next door to catch my returning flight home when I was living out of state.

Brewster's Fine Food and Spirits

Family-owned and operated since 1998, Brewster's Fine Food and Spirits has operated various locations throughout Southwest Michigan, including Paw Paw and Otsego, which remain open. Their Kalamazoo restaurant was conveniently located to the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport.

Sadly, the restaurant announced its sudden closure in early 2023 after a successful 32 years of operation. What is happening over there on Portage Road? Is the plague of construction? Neighboring Traveler's Craft BBQ and Whiskey Bar announced their closure last month.

On Wednesday, November 13 member of the local Facebook group Vanished Kalamazoo Christine Orozco shared some startling photos:

Brewster's Kalamazoo is now officially gone! According to reports from MLive the Kalamazoo City Commission accepted a $1 million grant to clean up, "an estimated 8,200 tons of petroleum-contaminated soils" which need to be removed from the Brewster's site and the former gas station next door.

Once environmental remediation is finished a 4-story, 79,000-sq. foot hotel is planned for the space. Adds MLive,

The cleanup process will begin this fall, when the project is expected to break ground... Cleanup must be completed over the next two years.