Common Space Brewery is moving beyond its industrial roots in Hawthorne with a new taproom and beer garden planned for 5050 E. York Blvd. in Highland Park, according to permits filed with Los Angeles City Planning. The project calls for a 2,125-square-foot indoor taproom and restaurant paired with a 2,773-square-foot rear patio and garden, bringing beer, food, and a dog-friendly outdoor hangout to one of the Eastside's busiest commercial strips.
The filing, first reported by WhatNow, indicates the new space would include 62 indoor seats and 45 outdoor seats, with hours expected to run from 8 a.m. to midnight daily. It marks the first Los Angeles County taproom for Common Space Brewery outside its Hawthorne headquarters, where the company has operated out of a 24,000-square-foot World War II-era building at 3411 W. El Segundo Blvd. since the taproom opened there in 2018, according to CraftBeer.com.
Common Space, based in Los Angeles and co-founded by Brent Knapp and Dave Childress, already announced the Highland Park expansion in November under its “Beer for All” ethos, per a report from PorchDrinking. That announcement detailed plans for a full kitchen, rotating small-batch beers, German-style lagers, IPAs, and community programming like trivia nights and Dodgers watch parties. The new taproom and beer garden is expected to open in 2027, and will feature beers on tap and food alongside those events.
A Patio With Deep Roots on York Boulevard
The outdoor patio itself carries some neighborhood history. The site previously housed Block Party, a craft beer bar and outdoor patio known for shuffleboard and community gatherings that expanded in 2021 through a partnership with plant-based eatery Wolfie's Hot Chicken, according to reporting cited in the Los Angeles Times. The single-story commercial building at 5050 York Boulevard was originally built in 1923 and sits on a 5,184-square-foot lot, per property records reviewed by PropertyShark.
Common Space's plans call for the patio to include greenery and a rotating communal gallery space, giving the outdoor area a distinct identity from the brewery's Hawthorne taproom. Commercial real estate firm Langdon Street Capital had marketed the address as a prime “Main-and-Main” retail location, pointing to more than 2,000 square feet of private patio space along what it described as one of Highland Park's most active commercial corridors.
York Boulevard has something of a track record for launching craft beer ventures. Highland Park Brewery got its start in 2014 in a 500-square-foot space behind The Hermosillo bar at 5125 York Blvd. before later expanding to Chinatown, according to the Los Angeles Times. Common Space's arrival would place a second notable brewery name within blocks of that original launch site.
Brewing Pedigree and a Community-Minded Philosophy
Common Space's Director of Operations Kushal Hall leads the brewery's production after spending nine years at San Francisco's Speakeasy Ales & Lagers, where he served as director of brewing operations and won a Great American Beer Festival gold medal in 2013, per Brewbound. The brewery has also built a reputation within the region's brewing community: the Los Angeles County Brewers Guild selected Common Space in 2021 to brew its annual “Unity” collaboration beer, producing a hoppy Pilsner that marked the first lager in the event's decade-long history, according to Beer Paper LA. The guild represents nearly 50 independent craft breweries across Los Angeles County, per LA Weekly.
The company also runs a trademarked philanthropic initiative called “Great Beer Gives Back,” hosting charitable events and fundraisers supporting organizations including PATH (People Assisting The Homeless), according to CraftBeer.com. Common Space's website states that beer is better when it brings people together, a philosophy the Highland Park location appears designed to put into practice with its dog-friendly patio and communal gallery space.
The move adds another beer and nightlife concept to a stretch of York Boulevard that has recently seen new food and drink openings, including Debbie Lee's Seoul-style second round. With permits now filed and a 2027 opening targeted, Highland Park residents have a while yet before Common Space's beer garden pours its first pint on York Boulevard.
