How does a tourism attraction create funding beyond just the grounds it occupies - producing a product that can be widely sold. This fundamental idea elicits the question “What can Top-of- Rock produce that will appeal to a mass audience as well as allow tourism to come from near and far?” The answer: a brewery or brewing organization. 

There is a new culture of micro brewing sweeping the nation’s taste buds. This culture has just recently begun pouring into West Virginia from around the country. Look at your local grocery stores’ shelves. How many of those labels are ones saw five years’ ago? Not very many is the answer. Look how few breweries exist locally. Individuals within this supportive group tend to not only open their taste buds to new creations but also their minds. 

Therefore, we have decided to make Top of Rock into a micro-brewery and a brewing education center. There are many home brewers without a local store in the valley and taste groups without a meeting location. People have supported the new Charleston Brewing Company. The state has been loosening up its legislation on beer to allow for the industry to grow in West Virginia. People could enjoy knowing that their good times with a beer beverage would help fund and save an iconic Charleston structure. 

This would not be just an idea; it would be a visible icon atop the rock that overlooks our beautiful city. It would become an incubator for innovative ideas and reuse in town. Being able to see the work on display for all would be inspiring from within the city and allow for breathtaking views of the city from the property. 

The rest of the property is to be used as educational space for lessons in learning to grow some of the raw resources that go into brewing. Hops will grow just about anywhere. While yeast cells could be cultivated from the property, water extracted from the natural water spring and specialty grains could limitedly be grown. This would allow for the beautiful landscape to be maintained and also be utilized in special beer productions. To provide constant surveillance for the property we would use Henry Elden’s son’s home, Little Rock, as the home for the Master Brewer of the organization occupying Top-O-Rock. 

The new program would work by sharing parking in the lots of Frontier and Columbia Gas. A small shuttle could be used to make frequent trips to Top-O-Rock, on a schedule. These lots are occupied during boating season and during business hours but because a brewery would operate mostly after work hours and into the evening, there would be no overlap of parking. 

In summation, we believe this innovative proposition, along with the growing popularity of micro-breweries would provide space for aspiring young professionals to meet and share ideas.