Sazerac Buys Historic Downtown Building For Cocktail Museum

New Orleans-based Sazerac Company announced last week that it has purchased two historic buildings at the corner of Canal and Magazine Streets, and plans to convert them in to The Sazerac House, a cocktail museum focused on Sazerac.

The two buildings, formerly known as the Katz Buildings, are over 200 years old and sit directly adjacent to the Sheraton Hotel. They have been vacant for more than 30 years, and were co-owned by Starwood and Met Life. Zella May was the listing agent, and the group saw over 20 offers to purchase before settling on Sazerac. Starwood and MetLife were criticized over the years for letting the property sit their vacant.

Sazerac plans to turn the building into a museum about Sazerac, the “official cocktail of New Orleans”, along with other New Orleans liquor brands. The museum will also feature the historical role the city played in the bourbon and rum industries and in American cocktail culture. In addition to the museum, the complex will include a gift shop and the Sazerac company offices, where 60 employees will eventually be housed. Right now, the employees work out of Metairie office building. 45 of the positions will be new.

“We simply could not be happier than to have the opportunity to restore such beautiful buildings to their former glory, in a perfect location, so close to the original site of the Sazerac Coffee House that will act as our future New Orleans homeplace,” stated Mark Brown, president and chief executive officer of the Sazerac Company, in the press release. “We’re excited to have this opportunity to preserve our roots, while at the same time explore opportunities to introduce our visitors to new product releases that have a special tie to New Orleans.”

Ryan Gootee is the general contractor, and Trapolin-Peer are the architects.

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One Response to Sazerac Buys Historic Downtown Building For Cocktail Museum

Three-Story Sazerac Cocktail Museum Breaks Ground on Canal Street | Canal Street Beat | New Orleans Real Estate News says:

February 1, 2017 at 9:13 AM

[…] little over a month after acquiring two historic buildings at the corner of Canal and Magazine Streets, the Sazerac Company has broken ground on the new five-story Sazerac House, a cocktail museum and […]

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