Former stars of “Tony and Tina’s Wedding” are one step closer to making their first toast as brewpub owners.
The South Bethlehem Historic Conservation Commission on Monday pronounced plans for Bonn Place Brewing Co., 310 Taylor St., as appropriate for the local historic district, which celebrates the industrial neighborhoods that grew up around Bethlehem Steel.
The vacant structure would be dressed up with awnings and a clear glass overhead door.
Brewpub co-owner Sam Masotto, who in real life married his former co-star in the touring performance, said he wanted to keep “the European classic feel of what it is: a post-industrial, almost carriage house garage.”
“I would love people to see this nondescript building and walk up to it because they heard about it and have just a small simple chalkboard to grab people’s attention,” he said. “I want to retain the ambiguity of the building.”
Masotto said the certificate of approval, if approved by City Council next month, keeps the brewpub on pace to open in late fall, just before the holiday season kicks off in the Christmas City.
He said he got approval for financing and hopes to start construction next month. The project, which is not affiliated with “Tony and Tina’s Wedding,” is still going through a licensing process of the Liquor Control Board.
Trained as a brewer in New York, Masotto has said he plans to introduce a Belgian beer, similar to Lambic styles that use fruit to balance tartness. And, of course, he doesn’t think a brewpub could operate successfully without a good pale ale, especially a hoppy IPA.
The restaurant will have seating for 37 and be large enough to brew 1,000 liters of beer at a time.
The building had been the home of a Pizza Hut home delivery service in 1985 and then the Bethlehem Glassworks in 1989. By the 1990s, the windows were replaced with garage doors and the building was used mostly for storage, according to city officials.
City officials learned that 310 Taylor St. was on the market for a tenant and made the connection with the Masottos, who had been looking elsewhere in the city.
The venture is another twist on the life that the Masottos began since touring as Tony and Tina in 2008. The performance, which portrays two colorful Italian-American families, is partially scripted and includes participation from the audience, who are the wedding couple’s guests.
They married for real Oct. 10, 2010, and recently moved to south Bethlehem. Although they have not ruled out reprising their roles as Tony and Tina some day, they are not currently touring with the performance.
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