WHITTIER >> In front of an audience of city officials and fellow entrepreneurs, a pair of local businessmen Wednesday signed a lease agreement to bring a brewery to the massive ground floor of the historic former Bank of America building in Uptown Whittier, a move some local leaders hoped would revitalize the heart of the city’s main commercial district.

Ricardo Diaz, a local chef who heads Colonia Group Inc., the operator of three well-reviewed Mexican restaurants in Whittier, plans to turn the 15,000-square-foot space into The Whittier Brewing Company, a restaurant and craft brewery. Officials said it would be the first craft brewery in the city. Diaz said he expects to open sometime next year.

“We are going to create different kitchens and food concepts that will constantly evolve and change,” said Diaz.

Attached to the ground floor is a 3,815-square-foot courtyard.

Diaz, 47, said with the restaurant he hoped to attract new customers to the area “who respect artisan-ship and craftsmanship.”

Diaz signed the 15-year lease for the space with John Hsu, the CEO of STC Management Inc., which bought the building at the corner of Greenleaf Avenue and Philadelphia Street in October 2014. The owners later renamed the building Nixon Plaza after a previous tenant — President Richard M. Nixon’s first law office was located in the building.

The renaming was required when the six-story building was registered as a National Historic Landmark.

Mayor Joe Vinatieri called the intersection “the jewel of the city.” He said Hsu and Diaz were visionaries.

When STC Management bought the building, Hsu proposed signing tenants that would bring more shoppers and visitors to the long-struggling business district. At the time, Hsu said a top target for the ground floor was Cheesecake Factory.

The company planned a $2 million renovation that would update the building’s interiors, as well as redevelop the upper floors, with the possibility that some housing would be included linked to the building’s offices. Hsu also said at the time that he had plans for an upscale lounge/bar in the basement of the building modeled after The Edison on Second Street in Los Angeles.

Built in 1923, Nixon Plaza was designed by architects John and Donald Parkinson, who also designed the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Los Angeles City Hall.

“When I was looking at properties to purchase, I was looking for something special,” said Hsu. “It’s a beautiful building that is important to this community, and I wanted it to come back to life.”

Hsu, who came to the United States more than 30 years ago as a teenager from Taiwan, said he felt an obligation to bring a unique business to anchor the building.

“This building is located in the heart of Whittier and deserves to have a business that deserves to be here,” he said.

After interviewing many prospective tenants, he decided on Diaz because of his ties to Whittier.

“Most important he understands Whittier and knows its traditions,” he said.

Vinatieri was especially pleased with the selection of Diaz’s concept for the space.

“Diaz’s concept is cutting-edge and he has already shown to be a successful businessman,” he said. “The brewing company will be a cultural and economical boost to the city.”

The location previously struggled to maintain a ground-floor tenant.

Bank of America moved out of the building in 1980, though most continued to refer to location by the name of its old tenant.

In 1988, Whittier Building Inc. bought the building for $900,000.

In 1995, Q’s Billiards Club opened on the ground floor. Just three years later, the space was later taken over by Stixx Billiards.

In the two years following the arrival of Stixx, complaints due to noise and crime led the City Council to impose tougher operating rules for businesses.

By 2000, Ibiza Steak and Lounge Restaurant had taken over the space. The restaurant’s name was changed to Rome Fine Dining, but that business also closed after losing its liquor permit after complaints about noise and security problems.

A large fight in August 2005 sprawled out into the street. One person was stabbed.

A furniture store was the last occupant of the building’s expansive ground floor.