Pub owners hope to be at forefront of iconic city structure’s revitalization

By Donna Beth Weilenman
Staff Reporter

The latest indication of a resurgence at Benicia’s old Tannery Building at the south end of First Street, Cullen’s Tannery Pub, opens at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Its owners, Dennis and Denise Cullen, have drawn from multiple inspirations for their new venture, in which patrons can choose from a variety of beverages, play games on consoles and admire the “steampunk” decor.

The Cullens are longtime Benicia residents. Dennis has been in the restaurant and beverage industry for more than 35 years. He was involved with the Commandant’s Quarters, the restaurant that once operated in the Commanding Officer’s Quarters in the Arsenal, and later he opened Choices, a popular nightclub located at the site now occupied by Rookies Sports Bar.

Since selling Choices, Dennis’s wife Denise said, the couple has mulled opening a new business in the Tannery Building.

“We have always had a vested interest in the downtown,” said Denise, a real estate broker who has a background in hospitality through her work in large hotels.

Now the Tannery, under new ownership since last year, is experiencing a revival after losing tenants through the years. And Dennis and Denise Cullen want their new pub to be a big part of that revival.

“We all remember O’Leary’s,” Denise said of the long-time Irish pub that operated in the Tannery. “Now you will have Cullen’s and the Irish-rooted family of Cullens.”

But the new establishment won’t be a replica of O’Leary’s, she said, describing the new business’s décor.

The Cullens picked their pub’s décor with a purpose. “The historic time period of ‘Wild West’ Benicia, plus the Tannery — leather, industry,” Denise said in describing the basis of the new pub’s look.

“Steampunk” is a label for genres of speculative fiction and art that focuses on steam-powered, spring-operated technology, inspired in part by machines described by H.G. Wells and Jules Verne.

Brass and copper, leather and wood are typical steampunk materials, and steampunk décor frequently resembles something that might have been designed for use in Victorian-era Great Britain or the American Wild West — with a futuristic twist.

Playing on Verne’s “Around the World” theme, Denise said, “We will also take you around the world in 80 drinks.” The new pub’s menu includes eight microbrews, several wines and other spirits.

The couple said they also wanted to bring in the technology and science fiction aspect that comes from gaming, as well as arts and literature, describing them as “all pieces of our eclectic appeal.”

In addition to the Irish pub and steampunk look, the Cullens also paid homage to the name of the historical building the new establishment will occupy — though that name has been tweaked to reflect the renaissance its new owner, Joe Lopez, hopes to see occur there. Instead of just “The Tannery,” the building now is called “Tannery Row.”

In keeping with that, Denise said, “We have some beautiful hides on display.”

The back patio at Cullen’s Tannery Pub now is a beer and spirits garden with a television screen. For those who like games, the couple has two Playstation 3 consoles — “steampunked, of course!” — where patrons can bring and play their own games.

“We basically gave the place a facelift,” said Denise, who has a master’s degree from Florida’s Full Sail University and has started working toward a doctoral degree in computer science. “We are creating a new synergy, and everybody is welcome.”

The pub is at 131 B First St., next to Char’s Hot Dogs, an establishment that left the Tannery but returned after Lopez bought the building last year.

That may have signaled the resurgence at the Tannery that the Cullens hope to be a part of.

“We are hoping to add to the rebirth of this new development,” Denise Cullen said.

The new pub’s hours are 2-9 p.m.

Read Friday’s Herald for more on the new businesses in the Tannery.