Brewed Awakenings, which is managing the Carlo bar space at newly renovated CSPS, is in lease discussions to operate a full scale coffee house and wine bar in the CSPS building.

Brewed Awakenings operates a coffee house at 1271 First Ave. SE, across from Coe College. It is in active negotiation to lease a 2,000-square-foot ground floor retail space carved out in the renovation of the CSPS building this year.

If negotiations reach a successful conclusion, the coffee and wine bar would employ 10 to 15 full and part-time staff, according to an announcement from Legion Arts, which manages the facility,

CSPS is still seeking tenants for the two remaining ground floor retail spaces in the building. One of the spaces is 800 square feet. The other is 1,300 square feet.

Former Iowa Governor Chet Culver and Cedar Rapids Mayor Ron Corbett attended Friday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house for the $7 million-plus CSPS renovation project. About 70 workers employed by the project later gathered for an open house and celebration.

Culver’s Iowa Infrastructure Investment Initiative (I-JOBS) awarded Legion Arts the initial $4.8 million grant for the purchase and restoration of CSPS and the historic Hose Co. No. 4 fire house next door. The remaining funds were contributed by the Hall-Perrine Foundation, City of Cedar Rapids, Rockwell Collins, CRST, TransAmerica, The Gazette Foundation, Linn County and other businesses and individuals.

The project employed over 500 workers for more than 50,000 total hours.

CSPS/Legion Arts named the new bar space in building, little used in the past 25 years, Carlo. It was named for Carl Van Vechten, a Cedar Rapids native who became a famous critic, novelist and photographer. The renovated room features a selection of Van Vechten’s portraits of artists and leaders from the early 20th century.

Hall Perrine Foundation President Jack Evans, Linn County Supervisor Ben Rogers and Cedar Rapids City Manager Jeff Pomeranz, the former chair of the I-JOBS board, also spoke at the ribbon cutting.