Historic buildings draw us in with their character and sense of history. Cracks and imperfections are part of the appeal. But what happens when the quirks are not just superficial but indicators of significant structural distress? For Central Standard Craft Distillery, a Milwaukee-based company that purchased an 1874 building, the answer was to implement a top-to-bottom structural retrofit that would preserve the charm while also making the building safe to occupy. In January 2020, national interdisciplinary design firm HGA joined the mission to renovate the 16,000 square-foot, three-story building to create space for a bar, restaurant, tasting room, events space, and rooftop patio to promote Central Standard’s growing business. Originally designed by renowned Milwaukee architect Edward Townsend Mix, the building’s condition had worsened over the years due to foundation settlement and deficiencies in the original engineering design. Floors that were originally flat now sloped as much as 15 inches over 60 feet, while brick walls leaned to the west by as much as 6 inches per story.