A redevelopment proposal involving Marz Community Brewing Co. centers on the Blue Island Beer Company building at 13357 Old Western Ave. and includes a proposed $1.7 million buildout with a pirate-themed tiki bar. The proposal concerns the storefront.
The Chicago Tribune reported that the estimated lease cost is $1. Blue Island took ownership of the building from Olde Western Blue Island LLC in 2024.
Marz President Ed Marszewski, a longtime Chicago cultural organizer, founded the nonprofit Public Media Institute, which runs Lumpen Radio, a low-power community station, and publishes Lumpen Magazine, and was involved with Bridgeport's Maria's Packaged Goods & Community Bar, according to Court Theatre. The Tribune also discusses the relationship between Marz and Maria's Packaged Goods and Community Bar.
A Brewery With Deep Roots and Big Ambitions
Marz first opened in Bridgeport in 2013, per the Tribune's reporting. In Blue Island, Marz is part of a conceptual plan for the former Blue Island Beer Company site.
The brewery's product lineup has already stretched well beyond traditional beer. Spurred by the 2018 federal Farm Bill and Illinois' 2020 legalization of adult-use marijuana, Marz expanded into hemp-derived CBD and Delta-9 THC beverages, building lines such as Flower Power CBD seltzer and Unholy Water, according to WTTW Chicago. Recreational cannabis sales in Illinois reached $1.6 billion in 2023, the outlet notes, as more brewers adopted hemp-derived THC drink formulations.
Alderman Raises Concerns Over Building Costs
The site has been discussed in connection with building improvements.
Reporting mentions engineering work and updates at the building, and the city council separately approved a proposal from Wooden Roof Solutions for specialty wooden truss work on the structure. The report also mentions that Trestles is set to open on Olde Western Avenue.
The investment is part of a redevelopment proposal for the site.
The Building's Craft Beer Legacy
The site carries real history in Blue Island's brewing story. Blue Island Beer Company opened in April 2015 under Alan Cromwell, according to The Daily Parker. The brewery went on to become a founding member of the Dixie Highway Brewery Trail, a trail with eight participating breweries.
Among its signature releases was Massive Political Corruption, a pre-Prohibition style amber ale, according to Patch. Beyond beer, the taproom featured a beer garden and televisions.
The 13357 Old Western Ave. property is also mentioned in reporting by the Daily Southtown. The address sits roughly 800 meters from Metra's Rock Island District Blue Island-Vermont Street station, with a trip from Chicago taking about 20 minutes, per The Daily Parker's reporting.
Closure Fit a Broader Pattern of Industry Pressure
Blue Island Beer Company's eventual closure did not happen in isolation. The Illinois craft brewing industry faced supply-chain pressures in 2025, including proposed tariffs on aluminum and barley, according to Shaw Local.
The Marz lease arrives as Blue Island works through a string of redevelopment setbacks and wins. Just months earlier, in January 2026, Lockwood defaults on $44M hospital loan derailed plans to redevelop the former MetroSouth Medical Center site. The city has since seen other movement as local officials continue pushing to re-activate prominent vacant sites across the municipality.
