08/26/2026
Thanks you Heritage Ohio for the opportunity to share a piece of our journey and thank you Piqua for welcoming us into your amazing community. Cheers! 🍻
For more than 110 years, 123 N. Main Street has reinvented itself alongside downtown Piqua. Built in the early 1900s, the building opened around 1914 as Hemm Brothers Harley-Davidson, bringing one of America’s emerging motorcycle brands to the community. As transportation changed, so did the building. Beginning in 1920, it became home to a succession of automobile dealerships, including Reliance Auto Sales, Hemm Motors, and Schlingman Pontiac-Buick, before becoming Piqua Granite & Marble in 1983.
Another chapter began in 2022 when Crooked Handle Brewing Co. purchased the property and invested more than $2 million in its rehabilitation. Historic character was preserved while new building systems, accessibility improvements, a commercial kitchen, and brewing equipment prepared the space for an entirely new use. In January 2023, the doors reopened and the building once again became an active destination in downtown Piqua.
Today, Crooked Handle has transformed 123 N. Main into a place where the community comes together. Located alongside Lock 9 Park and the Treviño Performance Pavilion on the Great Miami River, it welcomes residents and visitors for meals, locally crafted beer, celebrations, nonprofit fundraisers, business meetings, concerts, and downtown events. The project created approximately 30 local jobs while generating activity that benefits neighboring shops, restaurants, and businesses.
From motorcycles and automobiles to craftsmanship and now hospitality, each generation has found a new purpose for this building. Its rehabilitation demonstrates an important lesson about preservation: saving a historic building isn't simply about protecting what it was. It's about making sure it continues to matter.
What building in your community has been reinvented for a new generation? Celebrate your preservation success by submitting a building to Heritage Ohio’s 250 Buildings, 250 Stories initiative. www.heritageohio.org/250-buildings-250-stories
Crooked Handle- Piqua