PHOTO BY ANDREA CALO
A metalworks and machining shop built in the 1940s in East Austin has been masterfully reincarnated as the welcoming and spacious Central Machine Works Beer Hall with the help of Kartwheel Studio, Maker Architects and IE2 Construction.
“Our goal was to maintain an authentic environment while creating a warm, inviting establishment where all are welcome,” says David Clark of Kartwheel Studio, who was tasked with overseeing the interior design and custom fabrication.
To achieve this, prominent elements throughout include found and vintage furnishings, dimmer switches and authentic raw materials such as burned pine, troweled concrete, raw steel and slate—not to mention an upholstered banquette made using century-old pine found in the space and an original lathe left behind from the previous owner.
“We as humans base our existence on our experiences in the world,” says Clark, “so offering one that is warm, inviting and all-inclusive was of the utmost importance to us.”
