The Baird Machine Shop (in Historic Heritage Square & Science Park)

Luckily, the Baird Machine Shop was not demolished as many other original buildings had been by the 1970s and 1980s. Developer Phil Gordon, who would later become majoy, first proposed the idea of a brewpub in the building in the late 1980s as part of a plan to revitalize downtown (Heritage Park opened in 1980). He envisioned a world-class restaurant that would attract people from all over the country. The plan fell through though, mainly because of the lack of parking. But ten years later, chef Chris Bianco opened the pizzeria. In 1998, a New York critic declared the pizza made here the best in the country.