Re-creating a landmark at The Cannery in Fairport

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Matt Lester didn’t create a partnership with Donohoe Management to acquire the old cannery in downtown Fairport and then come up with a vision for how to use the landmark structure.

Instead, there first was a vision for a mixed-use development project, and it was then determined that a particular vacant building — built in 1908 as the home of American Can Company — would be a perfect fit.

Sometime next month, and continuing into the fall, a series of phased openings of businesses at The Cannery will begin. The Faircraft Brauhaus, Compane Brick Oven Pizza and an athletic facility will be among the first to christen the new space.

“A lot of people thought the vision was crazy,” said Lester, managing partner of Rochester-based Caliber Commercial Brokerage. “But we saw the potential.”

The inspiration for the two-phase project in the heart of the village came from a market analysis by Lester and his partner in Caliber, Rick Altier. They then sold a developer, Sean Donohoe of Donohoe Management, on the idea and soon Taylor, The Builders was undertaking a build-out of the old Parce Avenue structure.

“We speculate where growth will be,” Lester said. “We took an analytical look at the market and realized there was a void in Fairport for commercial real estate. They have the neighborhoods that will support this type of project. We back into it that way, then we go find the real estate.”

The 53,000-square feet of the old cannery at 25 Parce Ave. had seen better days. So, too, had the 42,000-square-foot building across the parking lot at 75 N. Main St. They weren’t necessarily on the market but Lester brokered deals on both buildings with the owners, Michael Hanna and James Wood. They obtained 25 Parce Ave. in 2018 and bought the second structure last summer. The total price tag was just under $3.3 million, according to filings with the Monroe County Clerk’s Office.

The old cannery is fast-tracking to completion and will house retail, smaller restaurants and two athletic facilities. All but two spaces comprising 5,800 square feet have been leased. The 199-foot factory smokestack will be tidied up and serve as a welcoming beacon at the main entryway.

“The village of Fairport’s economic development group has embraced the project,” Lester said. “Most municipalities would have put the development team through the ringer. Fairport was like, ‘What can we do for you?’ ”

A feature of the facility will be a boardwalk on the south side, and every restaurant will be able to take advantage through outdoor seating.

“This is really a boardwalk to be discovered,” said Matt West, CEO of Faircraft Brauhaus, the craft brewer that anchors the east end of the building.

His business is already serving its brews for carryout and in an outdoor seating area. Once the Brauhaus indoor space is complete, there will be a Steinway piano as well as a “wall of arts” where local artists can display their work.

Phase 2 of The Cannery project will be development of the second building, which will house Class A office space and a restaurant.

“Fairport is a proven market with Fairport Village Landing and The Box Factory,” Lester said. “We had identified this space a couple years ago and Donohoe Management really made it happen.”

Between the two buildings is a 235-space parking lot. The long-term goal is also to use the parking lot to be able to host events, with the businesses in the old cannery serving as hosts.

“This building was here in 1918 during the influenza pandemic,” West said, “and 102 years later we’re in another pandemic and the building’s still here.”

Now, however, it has an entirely different look and purpose.

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