Project: Fretboard Brewing & Public House
Year: 2013
Location: Main Street
In 2019, a prominent restaurant space at 103 Main Street found new life with the opening of Fretboard Brewing & Public House, continuing downtown Hamilton’s momentum and reinforcing the value of strategic reinvestment.
The building, formerly home to Quarter Barrel Brewery + Pub, was repositioned through the CORE Fund, which managed a competitive and carefully structured selection process following Quarter Barrel’s closure earlier that year.
Fretboard Brewing & Public House, a successful Blue Ash-based microbrewery and Cincinnati restaurant group, brought an “upscale pub with a twist” to Main Street. The concept featured from-scratch food, 14 taps pouring Fretboard beers, a full menu of craft cocktails, and the return of rooftop dining and drinking to one of downtown’s most visible locations.
The project reactivated a high-profile building, adding consistent foot traffic and evening activity, and strengthened downtown Hamilton’s growing food and beverage scene. For CORE, the successful transition of the former Quarter Barrel space aligned directly with its mission to move properties into productive use and support a vibrant, active urban core.
