The Student Agencies Building Commercial Tenant Reveal: Ithaca Beer Co. Press Release
Student Agencies and the Ithaca Beer Company announced today that the Ithaca Beer Company will be opening a restaurant and taproom in the new Student Agencies Building in Collegetown, which is currently under construction and expected to open in August of this year.
Located on the corner of College Avenue and Oak Avenue in the heart of Collegetown, the Ithaca Beer Company will occupy approximately 4,000 square feet on the first floor of the building, effectively spanning the spaces previously occupied by Collegetown Bagels, Bear Necessities, and Rulloff’s. In addition, the Ithaca Beer Company space will include the new 2,000 square foot patio, in the same location as the previous patio, but redesigned and improved as part of the new building design.
“We are very excited to announce the opening of our second location in the new Student Agencies Building, currently under construction in Collegetown,” said Dan Mitchell, Cornell alumnus and Ithaca Beer Company’s owner and president. “Literally at the gateway to the Cornell campus, on a site rich in history as a central gathering place for students and community members alike, we could not be more delighted to be a part of the new Student Agencies Building.”
While plans are still being developed, the Ithaca Beer Company expects to open a full-service restaurant and taproom in the interior space, including service to the adjoining patio. Like its current restaurant and taproom, located off Route 13 just south of Buttermilk State Park, lunch and dinner menu options at the new Collegetown location are expected to feature farm-fresh produce and specialty beers brewed at Ithaca Beer’s downtown production facility.
“Student Agencies is thrilled to welcome the Ithaca Beer Company to the new Student Agencies Building,” said Kyle Karnes, Student Agencies’ CEO. “Founded by Cornell alumnus Dan Mitchell, the Ithaca Beer company has established itself as a wildly successful locally-grown brand with a strong following among both the student and local community populations. As the owners and caretakers of this iconic location in Collegetown, we could not be more pleased to partner with Dan to establish Ithaca Beer as the center of a rejuvenated and vibrant Collegetown for many years to come.”
Charlie Lee, Student Agencies’ student president, added, “From a student perspective, the opening of the Student Agencies Building in the fall, with the Ithaca Beer Company as the anchor commercial tenant, is something to really look forward to and will hopefully represent a return to normalcy after more than a year of COVID-related social restrictions.”
The Student Agencies Building, a new 82,000 square foot mixed-use apartment and retail building, is currently under construction and due to open in August 2021. In addition to the Ithaca Beer Company space, the building includes 64 residential apartment units, all currently pre-leased for the fall, as well as up to 2,000 square feet of currently available commercial space in the basement.
About Student Agencies
Established in 1894, Student Agencies is the oldest independent student-run company in the country. Its not-for-profit mission is to provide experiential learning opportunities to Cornell undergraduates in the areas of business and entrepreneurship. It fulfills this mission by owning and operating a portfolio of businesses that are run by a new group of students each year. In addition, in partnership with Cornell, Student Agencies established the eLab student business accelerator program in 2008; and, in 2016, built out 10,000 square feet of open coworking space in Collegetown (eHub Collegetown) for students working on business and entrepreneurial startups. Student Agencies is currently developing the Student Agencies Building in Collegetown, its primary real estate asset that serves as the organization’s endowment by providing the financial resources necessary to execute its not-for-profit experiential learning mission.
About the Ithaca Beer Company
Ithaca Beer Co. sits on a beautiful farm just outside the city of Ithaca, between two state parks. The brewery was founded in 1998 by owner Dan Mitchell and to this day remains a family-run operation. The facility contains a state-of-the-art 50bbl brew system that produces about 20,000 barrels of beer per year. Ithaca Beer, led by is flagship Flower Power IPA, is distributed in 15 states on the east coast. Flower Power has been recognized as one of the “25 Most Important American Craft Beers Ever Brewed” by Food & Wine magazine. The Taproom restaurant features fresh farm produce and specialty beers brewed on a 5bbl pilot brewhouse. On the weekends the Beer Garden opens a pop-up kitchen featuring a seasonally rotating menu.
