Downtown Fort Wayne is home to a number of dining and entertainment options. Still, until recently locals like Nathan Newport and David Beer felt frustrated by the lack of activities in the area.
Newport and Beer opted to do something about that. They wanted to offer Fort Wayne something more to do during inclement weather that was active and social, so they started searching for a solution.
When they began touring the building, it was the third floor of the building at 1510 Fairfield Avenue that sparked their interest, despite it being built in 1900 and severely run-down.
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Rachel Von Art LLCThe entryway at The Fairfield Wedding and Events“When we made our way up the stairs and opened the doors to 23-foot ceilings, exposed wood trusses, and red brick we knew that the space would be a beautiful venue,” says owner Nathan Newport.
When the new owners first walked through the building’s three floors they envisioned different activities that would make sense in the space. They also considered similar markets and activities that would be beneficial to Fort Wayne.
The 36,000-square-foot building left Newport and Beer a lot of room to make their vision,
The Fairfield, come to life.
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Rachel Von Art LLCPinhouse Social, the first floor of The Fairfield, features Duckpin Bowling.They landed on making
Pinhouse Social on the first floor, which features eight lanes of duckpin bowling, something they call “the cooler, edgier cousin of traditional bowling,” a bar and a full food menu.
The second floor is home to
Urban Golf, which holds eight simulation bays. Visitors can golf at over 85 courses, try skill training games, or use the bays to play another spot. Urban Golf will offer members for those interested in being frequent flyers. In addition to specialty member hours, memberships include special discounts, reservations, and more.
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Rachel Von Art LLCThe second floor of The Fairfield, Urban Golf, features eight golf bays.At the top, on the third floor,
The Fairfield will host weddings and events.
Input Fort Wayne sat down with owners Nathan Newport and David Beer to learn more about their experience opening The Fairfield and what customers can expect from the new business.
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Rachel Von Art LLCNathan Newport and David Beer, owners of The FairfieldIFW: Tell us about The Fairfield. What will people see when they visit?
David Beer: When you enter The Fairfield you will see a building that was renovated with intentionality in mind at every turn. From our top floor, The Fairfield Weddings and Events, with its exposed brick and beams to our second floor, Urban Golf, and its eight multi-sport golf simulator bays, and finally to our first floor, Pinhouse Social, and its eight duckpin bowling lanes as well as a bocce/corn horn court.
We believe people will see a space that was created for fun and the gathering of loved ones. We are honestly excited about each of the three floors because they are so very different from each other.
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Rachel Von Art LLCThe second floor of The Fairfield features eight golf bays.IFW: What set you on the path to own and operate The Fairfield?
Nathan Newport: It is very important to understand that we did not seek out or have intentions of opening The Fairfield. There were no prior vision boards or business plans that were created and then sought out to operate The Fairfield.
The Fairfield found us. This entire project has happened organically. Our prior businesses, experience, and work ethic have helped guide us through this process but we never had a prior intention of creating what has now been created. This project has been forged because it is what the community wants and we are just two locals that believe in making our city and surroundings better.
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Rachel Von Art LLCThe bar area at Urban Golf on the second floor at The Fairfield.
IFW: Tell us about the renovation process.
NN: We have never developed a 36,000-square-foot building before and the challenges to do so have been an overwhelming range of emotions. This building was completely dilapidated. The day we purchased it one of the interior brick walls collapsed due to frozen pipes. The building was condemned, and it has been an uphill battle since then. Every challenge you can imagine we have faced, but we have continued to push forward.
There is not a single corner of the building that is not being renovated. Everything in the building and under the building is new. The only portion we kept in place was the brick walls. This includes a new roof, windows, electrical, plumbing, mechanical rooftop units, grease traps, sewer lines, etc. Because we are operating each floor this also includes all new finishes which include the buildouts of essentially three businesses. It has been nothing short of a miracle that we are where we are today.
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Rachel Von Art LLCThe bar area under construction at Pinhouse Social.IFW: It sounds like you’ve experienced a lot of setbacks throughout the renovation. What’s kept you excited about this project?
NN: The portion of this that keeps us going is the excitement and collaboration of our great city. To say that we came up with all of this would be a lie. We have had so much help from key organizations and individuals in the city. When we tour the building with corporations and couples and watch them light up with excitement it honestly energizes us to keep finding a way to make this project go. We have leaned on experts in the hospitality field to help guide us and to set the building up to be efficient and welcoming for guests and vendors. Every corner has been thought about to the best of our ability to make it enjoyable and to create an experience that is unique to Fort Wayne. We can not sing the praises enough of everyone who has come alongside us to help facilitate this project.
IFW: Was there anything about the location or building that made it stand out?
NN: We believed that being located between Parkview Field and Electric Works offered the type of connectivity that we witnessed in other emerging markets. The large difference between our concept and others is our third floor which will host large weddings and events. We have the capacity to host 300-plus-person events in a space that we fell in love with because of its old charm and character. We brought in local experts such as Kelly Geiser to see if we were crazy or if it was in fact a potential venue in her eyes as well. Her initial reaction was the same as ours. Despite the dilapidated condition of the building all three of us could see the vision of the space. From there we started to work our way down to the other floors to plug in concepts that complimented each other and would flow with the rest of the building.
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Rachel Von Art LLCThe view from the third floor of The Fairfield includes downtown sites such as the Allen County Courthouse and Parkview Field.IFW: What made you decide to include urban golf and duckpin bowling at The Fairfield?
NN: We have so many golfers and bowlers in Fort Wayne and we wanted to use our building to create an entertainment-type atmosphere that was unique to this area. There is just something cool about being in a 125-year-old building and grabbing a set of clubs to go golf or throwing a game of duckpin bowling while you have a drink. The emotional connection that is created while you are in that building is so unique compared to a new commercial outfit.
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Rachel Von Art LLCAssistant Pro Wyatt Johnson tests out a golf simulation bay at Urban Golf on the second floor at The Fairfield.IFW: Tell us a little more about the wedding venue side of things. Are you currently booking?
NN: We currently have over 70 bookings on our third-floor wedding and event space. We just celebrated our first wedding on that floor and have bookings through 2026. We still have plenty of available dates and would love the opportunity to tour the space with anyone seeking a unique space and experience.
IFW: What inspired you to create The Fairfield?
NN: We are here to make a living, not a killing. We are two locals who have set our sights on listening to the pain points of other locals. Our vision for The Fairfield is to create value for the community and a place where people can congregate to be active and social.
We just want everyone to know how incredibly thankful we are for the support and encouragement. This has been the most stressful and difficult project either of us have ever done in our lives but the relationships and community that we have built along the way has made it much easier to endure forward. We are incredibly proud of what we have created and look forward to serving the community!
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Rachel Von Art LLCThe Fairfield Wedding and Events is located on the 3rd floor at The Fairfield, 1510 Fairfield Avenue.
The Fairfield is located at 1510 Fairfield Ave. Fort Wayne, Indiana.
The Fairfield Wedding and Events is open and by appointment only.
Urban Golf anticipates opening in early December. The hours will be Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for members only and 4 p.m. to midnight for the general public, as well as Saturday 10 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Pinhouse Social anticipates opening mid to late December. Their hours will be Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to midnight, Saturday, 10 a.m. to midnight, and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Hours are subject to change.