ASHEVILLE - Efforts to revive the S&W Building's halcyon days as a center of community dining have happened in fits and starts. Now, with two powerhouse local businesses leading the charge, a successful resuscitation seems on the horizon.

The iconic 56 Patton Ave. building will reopen this spring after a refresh, revealing The S&W Market, a food and beer hall. Meherwan Irani of Chai Pani Restaurant Group will curate a roster of top restaurants for the space, while Highland Brewing Company will handle beer operations.

This second Highland Brewing taproom brings Asheville’s original craft brewery downtown, where its story began 25 years ago. The brewery will anchor the two-level S&W Market with a first-floor bar area and mezzanine-level bar, tasting room and event space.

Irani, who first opened Chai Pani in Asheville a decade ago, has since grown his restaurant group to include Botiwalla, an increasingly recognized brand of food hall restaurants, as well as his Spicewalla spice line.

The S&W, he said, is the perfect homecoming for Asheville's oldest brewery. “It’s only fitting that the S&W Market and Highland Brewing Company, two landmarks of Asheville, come together in a perfect pairing to revitalize an important part of our downtown’s history," he said in a Sept. 9 statement to the Citizen Times.

“I’ve never had an interest in opening a second taproom,” said Highland president Leah Wong Ashburn in her own statement. “But this confluence was powerful. We are engaged in revitalizing a piece of Asheville’s history and working with an incredibly talented group of Asheville entrepreneurs who all believe in authenticity, family and having fun with this project.”

Highland founder Oscar Wong, Ashburn's father, echoed that notion. “Highland was part of the rebirth of downtown Asheville back in the '90s, along with many others. To return downtown and be part of the rebirth of this iconic building is nothing short of amazing.”

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A classic art deco beauty, reborn

The S&W building, a classic art deco beauty, has stood sentry over the intersection of Patton Avenue and Haywood Street since 1929. Over the years, its popularity as a center of entertainment for the city waxed and waned.

Most recently, the building was home to S&W Artisanal, a sprawling Greek restaurant and market open for less than a year. The Times cocktail bar remains open to the east of the main entrance, with Save Me the Waltz jazz bar operating in the basement.

But in its heyday, the S&W was home to Asheville's location of the S&W Cafeteria, which first opened in the old Asheville Opera House on Patton Avenue in 1922, before moving across the street to 56 Patton Ave. in 1929.

Asheville's was one of the most successful of the S&W chain. At the height of its popularity, the cafeteria served 3,500 people daily in the winter months, a number that could swell to 5,000 in the busy summer months — that's what cafeteria manager L.R. Bowers told Asheville Times writer Katherine Gaines in 1954.

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Two Highland bars

The S&W was purchased in 2017 by brothers Douglas and Kenneth Ellington, great-nephews of the building’s late architect Douglas Ellington. “There is a great deal of meaning for us in this particular project,” said Douglas Ellington.

It's no surprise then that, even after this latest refresh, the building will retain its period charm, including its wide marble stairs, soapstone walls with painted tiles, and intricate architectural details.

New this spring will be food stalls driven by restaurants selected by Irani, the details of which should be announced later this year. Those market stalls will be at street level, along with a small Highland Brewing bar.

The refresh will add ample outdoor seating along the sidewalk. The building's mezzanine will also be outfitted with a bar, showcasing a literally elevated and expanded lineup of Highland’s small-batch, sour and barrel-aged beer offerings.

The mezzanine level will have seating for guests to sip a pint with their food and look out over the main floor or downtown Asheville. There will also be a separate private event room with a '20s feel and room for 40 seated guests.

“This is a passion project for us," said Burns Aldridge, managing broker and principal at Ellington Realty Group. "We reached out to Highland because we wanted to highlight the best of the best that Asheville has to offer as we bring this architectural treasure back to life."