PEORIA MAGAZINE October 2023

Local architect Mark Misselhorn with Karen and Court Conn, owners of Obed and Isaac’s in Peoria

One of the stunning stained-glass windows at the former church

WORLD-CLASS ARCHITECTURE

from the restaurant, but to also have an outdoor entertainment area. “It needed love,” said Karen. “We knew we needed to do all new infrastructure. “This wasn’t our first rodeo. Court and I like taking projects like this on. If it wasn’t for people like us who are crazy, these places would be torn down.” Misselhorn agreed. “Saving that pre cious history, that isn’t so easy,” he said. “But where else do you find a building like this? That big Wisconsin granite, they don’t build them like that any lon ger. It’s just so neat the Conns came in and saved this building.” A GROWING EMPIRE The Conns own Conn Hospitality Group in Springfield. The business began in 1948 when Roy Conn, Court’s father, opened Roy’s Café in Downtown Spring field. Today, the operation includes two Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery & Eatery locations, a cidery, a boutique hotel, a farm and vineyard, and a general store featuring Illinois products. It was a chance meeting with Missel horn at Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery & Eatery in Springfield that first planted the seed to launch a second location in Peoria.

“Our attraction to Peoria stems from Mark coming down to Springfield and he stopped at Obed & Isaac’s where we met him and started talking,” Karen said. “He later sent us an email indi cating he would love for us to come to Peoria and tour locations. At that time, we had been discussing internally that we were looking for another project. Probably to Mark’s amazement, I replied we would be interested.” The Conns finalized the purchase in October 2015 and immediately went into construction mode. On Sept. 26, 2016, Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery & Eatery opened in Peoria. “Working with the city of Peoria was a breath of fresh air,” she said. “They’re willing to work with businesses and try to find answers or solutions. We’ve done many restoration projects in Spring field, and I’ve met ‘no’ a lot and without any solutions offered. It was a joy up in Peoria.” BEER AND CHILI The Peoria brewhouse is the Conn’s largest, brewing everything from ci der to saison, from IPA to ale. The beer menu sports six flagship beers with seasonal offerings added in the spring/ summer and fall/winter.

The building, best known by Peorians as the former Cornerstone Building, is of the Richardsonian Romanesque Revival style of the late 19th century. The 12,000-square-foot structure was designed by W.W. Boyington, who also did Chicago's Water Tower. It was com pleted in 1889. Outside, the ornate structure of Wis consin granite stands as a beacon to those coming into Peoria on I-74 from the east. Inside, high-pitched ceilings, elaborate woodwork, ornamental plaster, arches and stunning arched stained-glass windows offer customers a unique dining experience. “Aesthetically, we saw all the oppor tunity and potential,” Karen said. The original ceiling, in particular, was a real draw. “It has such a German Bavarian feel,” said Karen. “It really transports you to Europe and what you may experience at a Bavarian beer garden.” In addition, the Conns knew they want ed to locate a brewhouse on the property. A parking lot next to the former church provided the space needed to not only construct the brewhouse to be separate

OCTOBER 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE 15