History of the Brewhaus

It was a simple concept... create an environment where the UWSP community could gather to share ideas, stories, a friendly game of billiards, a cup of coffee and maybe even a cold beer. Students and staff of the University Center gathered during the second semester of 1997 to put their ideas on paper and put the plan in motion.

The department formerly known as Recreational Services was moving to Allen Center to create better access to their equipment. The space they were vacating was unique in size and structure; some paneled walls, carpeted floor, cement floor and a variety of pipes running through the ceiling. A "perfect" place for a coffeehouse/pub!

The organizing committee struggled for a long time with a name for the department. But after seeing the location, and the budget, the "basement" theme seemed appropriate. Since a lot more than coffee and beer would be brewing in the new area, the committee combined the physical location with what was happening and came up with the "Basement Brewhaus."

To keep with the theme and the budget, the staff spent the entire summer prior to opening scavenging through rummage sales looking for furniture, lamps, board games and anything else that you might find in your typical basement recreation room. The staff also spent countless hours painting water pipes, putting up wall decorations and arranging furniture.