It was a venerable Manteca gathering place until the early 1990s.

The now 103 year-old building at 220 North Main Street once housed Larimore’s restaurant.

It was a dining spot for families. A lunch spot for businessmen.

And it served as the banquet hall of sorts for various community service clubs.

After being used for various enterprises including a second-hand store and then being vacant for a number of years, the building has been extensively remodeled for a repeat performance of its past act as a gathering place.

It is where the Brethren Brewing Company opened Jan. 8.

And if owner Daniel Machado has his druthers, the beer tasting room will serve as a catalyst for downtown Manteca’s revival as a daily community gathering place.

The tasting room with 16 craft beers on tap as well as a craft soda has a clean modern industrial look with seating for 60. There  is also another 40 outside seats in a space protected from the sun.

 Brethren Brewing is open Wednesdays through Fridays 2 to 9 p.m. Saturdays noon to 9 p.m., and Sundays noon to 7 p.m. Plans are to have a food vendor on site each day

A grand opening event is planned for Saturday, Feb. 4, from noon to 9 p.m.

 It will  feature four different  food vendors.

Machado remembers Larimore’s Restaurant given it was next door to the FESM Hall where his family attended various events while he was growing up.

As to whether he ever dined at Larimore’s Machado offered a simple reply.

“We were too poor to dine at Larimore’s,” Machado said.

His intent is to offer affordable family-friendly accommodations at Brethren Brewing Co.

The remodel took the better part of two years to accomplish.

The building was built to stand the test of time.

Concrete bricks, plenty of rebar, and terra cotta floors were all employed to build the headquarters of the San Joaquin Irrigation District 103 years ago.

The SSJID built the building after deciding to relocate its original headquarters in Ripon. They chose the site on what was then Hogan Road because it was on the then edge of downtown Manteca.

The community was literally doubling in the initial few years that the SSJID started delivering irrigation water to the area.

After the district built its current headquarters on East Highway 120 in the 1950s, the Manteca Bulletin occupied the building for several years with its press and business office.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com