Omaha Exploration

The building from which Upstream Brewing Company has been serving its fine craft beers for the last 28 years started its life as fire substation number one in 1903. Built at the corner of 11th and Jackson for a cost of $30K, the building was originally three stories with a gabled top floor that gave it the appearance of a French Chateau. 

The garage doors were located on the south side of the building allowing the horses, fire wagons and firefighters to come and go. Inside the building on the ground floor were the horse stables and stalls. The second floor served as the sleeping quarters and recreational area for the firefighters. The third floor was the hayloft for the horses. After the third floor was ironically destroyed by a fire in 1917, it was removed and never rebuilt. Even so, the building in the old City Market continued to serve as a fire station until 1944. After the start of World War II, however, the city couldn’t find sufficient manpower to operate the fire station causing it to close down. 

Before the City Market was transformed into the entertainment district known as the Old Market, the old fire station was used as both a warehouse and garage. That is until Dick Mueller purchased the building. At that point, a kitchen was added in the back where the horses were stabled. The basement where the zoo once stored alligators in the winter was converted into a wine cellar.

Once the renovation was complete, Dick Mueller opened his Firehouse Dinner Theater. The beloved community theater provided the Old Market with another go-to destination along with the French Cafe. Despite an arsonist setting fire to the theater’s stage which caused the theater to close for a few months in 1975, it reopened a few months later. The Firehouse’s long run came to an end in 1991 as entertainment options increased and attendance dropped.

In the late 1980’s, Brian Magee traveled to Colorado where he met John Hickenlooper. Before becoming a U.S. Senator and Presidential candidate, John opened Wynkoop Brewing Company in Denver. Wynkoop was the first brewpub opened in Colorado in 1988. Brian was working at the Cornhusker Hotel in Lincoln and was considering opening a fine dining restaurant of his own. His plans changed following his encounter with John who helped him open a brewpub in downtown Omaha. 

The city of Omaha is named for the native people that traveled upstream from the area that is now Missouri before settling here. Upon learning that Omaha translated to “upstream” in the Siouan language of which the Omaha spoke, he thought it was a perfect name for his brewpub. Brian wanted it to replicate the look of the old firestation. To that end, he opened the space up by removing plaster thereby exposing the natural brick walls. He also added numerous large windows, installed replicas of the original doors and moved the original cornerstone inside. In addition to the brewery, the main floor has an open-style kitchen, bar and seating for 240. 

Accessed from a steel staircase, the second floor offers a bird’s eye view of the main floor. This floor resembles an upscale pool hall with multiple pool tables, another bar in addition to seating for another 145. Out front along the corner of 11th and Jackson is one of two outdoor patio spaces. It was this space in front of the building that thirsty horses once got water from a trough. The second patio is on the northeast corner of the second floor. The total cost to renovate the 20,000 sq ft building was $1.4M which the owners felt was necessary in order to restore the building and to add character and flavor to the Old Market. 

When Upstream Brewing Company opened in 1996 there were only a few other microbreweries operating not only in Omaha but the entire state. Lazlo’s Brewery & Grill in Lincoln was the first to open in 1991 followed by Jaipur in Omaha one year later. In addition to offering six craft beers, the kitchen was serving up gourmet pizza, fried calamari, burgers, sandwiches, casseroles and stews all of which were made from scratch. Today they have 13 different beers on tap. 

Today Upstream is the second oldest craft brewery in Omaha behind only Japuir. While its second location in West Omaha closed in 2017, the original location in the Old Market remains a go-to destination. Over the years it has been recognized as the best brewpub by both Omaha Magazine as well as The Reader. While its success can no doubt be attributed to a number of factors including its variety of beer, quality of food, and the uniqueness of the building, the founder credits his employees for its longevity. Favorites

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