SALT LAKE CITY — The Fisher Mansion Beer Garden returned to Salt Lake City's historic Albert Fisher Mansion, located at 1206 West 200 South after a two-year hiatus.
Organizers hope the return of the Beer Garden will help remind the public about what they see as an important aspect of the history of Salt Lake City, and the state of Utah as a whole.
"There were several breweries in Salt lake at the time and west of the Mississippi, this was the biggest beer making area," said Nan Weber with Friends of Fisher, a community organization working to preserve the building. "... and it's not just the beer industry, you have to think of all the industries that helped build that industry, which have to do with rural Utah. The grains and everything that needed to be here, the transportation, that was all part of it."
One of the most notable breweries is the Fisher Brewing Company, which was founded by Albert Fisher in 1884. For the modern-day employees of the company, they view the Beer Garden as a way to honor his legacy.
"[Fisher] passed away just after or just right when prohibition started," said Tim Dwyer, co-owner of the Fisher Brewing Company. "I would hope that he would be excited about us reviving the brand and pouring a traditional German-style beer in an Octoberfest environment... we've tried to stay true to some of the classic Fisher beers, but also do our own take on things as well."
Fisher had the mansion built in 1893, with designs by Richard K.A. Kletting, the same architect who designed the Utah State Capitol, the original Salt Palace, and the Saltair Resort Pavilion.
The building had been closed to the public after sustaining damage during the 5.7 magnitude earthquake that hit the state back on March 18, 2020. Since then, there have been efforts to repair some of the damage.
"All the chimneys were taken down because that, those were damaged mostly," said Weber. "They're made to be fixed... they will, I'm sure, be replaced or reconstructed when the restorations begins."
Sadly, some damage to the mansion may be permanent. As FOX 13 News reported back in March, the mansion's brass fence was stolen.
