That long-empty gas station at Lorain Avenue and West 38th in Ohio City is finally getting a second act. Crews have started tearing into the site this week as Noble Beast moves ahead with plans for a year-round biergarten built around a greenhouse, new bar and renovated commercial building. The owners say they are not ready to pin down an official opening date just yet.
Design, greenhouse and layout
According to Cleveland Magazine, the development team created 3801 Lorain Avenue LLC and paid roughly $460,000 for the two-parcel, 0.2-acre property, which includes a 3,480-square-foot, two-story building constructed in 1910. Plans call for demolishing the former gas station, adding a 1,920-square-foot kitchen and constructing a roughly 1,035-square-foot greenhouse with garage-style doors that will open out to the patio. The renovation also includes updates to two second-floor apartments above the storefront.
"During our dreary winters, where we don’t see the sun for two months, the greenhouse is designed to create a warm, communal and plant-filled space to get some Vitamin D," Noble Beast founder Shaun Yasaki told Cleveland Magazine. He said the goal is a low-key, family-friendly gathering spot that complements the brewery's downtown taproom. The team is also planning a small cocktail bar at the rear of the renovated building.
Neighbors and approvals
The project went in front of the Cleveland Landmarks Commission and the Historic Ohio City Design Review Committee, where commissioners praised the creative reuse but asked for adjustments to limit noise, lighting and parking headaches for nearby residents. More than 90 public comments came in during the review process, with roughly 72 in support and 24 opposed, according to Signal Cleveland. Project architect Westleigh Harper told commissioners that the greenhouse is positioned to act as an "acoustic buffer" between the patio and surrounding homes.
Timeline and next steps
Construction has already started, and owner Shaun Yasaki posted a short Instagram video announcing the groundbreaking, per WKYC. Earlier coverage had the biergarten "on pace" for a spring 2026 debut, but that timeline now looks more tentative as the team finishes design work and wraps up city review, as noted by Cleveland Scene. Developers say they will keep refining the plans and talking with neighbors before committing to a firm opening date.
Noble Beast opened its first taproom on Lakeside Avenue in 2017 and has since become a downtown neighborhood favorite, according to Axios. If the Ohio City biergarten comes together as envisioned, it will mark the brewery's first move beyond its original home and could become a new daytime and evening draw along the Lorain Avenue corridor. Expect more permit filings and community meetings as the site transitions from demolition to full-on construction in the weeks ahead.
