(from the Gerding Edlen website: www.gerdingedlen.com) Preserving the brick structures on Block Two was critical to the character of the Brewery Blocks. As the site of the former Blitz-Weinhard Brewery, Block Two featured a historic smokestack and brewhouse that had long been an icon for the neighborhood. Preserving these structures helped create a sense of place for the neighborhood. We spent months researching and devising potential plans to salvage the brewery’s landmark, eight-story smokestack. It would have been easier and more cost-effective to demolish it, but we were convinced it was worth saving. Ultimately, the smokestack was carefully reinforced with piles drilled into a new concrete base and 20-foot long steel sleeves were lowered into it. Salvaging brewhouse elements—including the smokestack, weathervane, historic rail and a flue that now acts as a skylight for the fifth floor—reduced landfill waste and helped to lend character to the neighborhood.