Breweries of New York:

Breweries of New York:
A look at how the cultural and industrial development of the brewing industry
influenced brewery architecture in New York City
George Ringler & Co. Beer Bottles, c. 1897
(Image courtesy of "Colored Illustration Hand book showing the main departments of our large brewing
plant.” Geo. Ringler and Co. Brewers, New York Historical Society)
Alison LaFever
American Architecture I
Faculty: Andrew Dolkart
November 24, 2010
The art and science of brewing beer has been part of the American cultural identity since the
Colonial Era. The evolution of the brewing industry in the United States parallels the evolution of
the country itself, in many ways being shaped by the same innovations, events, and cultural
influences that have shaped the development of this country. And as the beer industry progressed to
become one of the nation’s leading industries, the design of the buildings that housed that industry
also evolved to accommodate the changing brewing technologies. From the late 17th to the early 19th
century, beer was brewed in small batches in private residences or in small craftsman shops. By the
end of the 19th century, beer brewing had become a major industry and the brewery had evolved into
a commanding structure that employed hundreds and was capable of producing thousands of barrels
of beer. The brewery had evolved into a specific industrial building type that incorporated stylistic
design trends and was in many cases designed by well-known architects, several of whom
specialized in brewery design.1
This evolution was particularly evident in New York City. Historically, it was considered
the capital of the brewing industry from its foundation as a Dutch settlement in the 17th century
through the early 20th century, producing more barrels of beer per year than any other city.2 Beer
brewing was not only a big business in New York City, but it was also significantly part of the city’s
culture. The evolution of brewery architecture in New York City was directly influenced by
developing brewing and building technology and the cultural impact of German immigrants who
changed the cultural landscape of the city of New York and revolutionized the brewing industry.
While this evolution is not unique to New York City, but rather is related to the greater context of
the development of the brewing industry and brewery architecture in America, it can be most vividly
illustrated by looking at the breweries of New York City due to the long history of the brewing in the
city and the considerable number of breweries that were located there during this period.
1
Susan K. Appel, “Brewery Architecture in America From the Civil War to Prohibition,” The Midwest In American Architecture. Ed. John S. Garner. (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1991) p. 186. 2
Martin Stack, “Local and Regional Breweries in America’s Brewing Industry, 1865 to 1920.” The Business History Review, Vol 74. (Autumn 2000) p. 463. (Accessed: 21 November 2010) 1 | L a F e v e r As an industrial building, the evolution of the brewery is related to the development of
industrial architecture in a broader context. The design of industrial buildings had early on been
commonly attributed to a varied combination of carpenters, craftsman, and industrialists, rather than
engineers and architects. And while even the earliest of industrial buildings have not been void of all
ornament, rather they occasionally have employed a limited number of elements to evoke an
architectural style, the design of industrial buildings has largely expressed stability and function over
lavish decoration and were for the most part simple vernacular structures.3 Industrial buildings have
historically shared common forms but as technology of the various industries and building
techniques have changed, distinctive building forms have eventually developed that reflect the
particular needs and purposes of the industries they serve. Such is the case with the brewery.
However breweries did not develop their own unique style until the end of the 19th century.4 During
the colonial period, because the scale of the individual brewery works was pretty small, the design of
the colonial brewery for the most part was typically not any different from the everyday architecture
of the period. In rare cases, the building may have been specifically shaped in part by the needs of
the brewing process with interior equipment arranged to facilitate a horizontally oriented, semigravitational flow of the developing brew.5 However, more often than not, the early brewery was
small and simple in its layout, whose form was dictated purely by the materials used and the design
aesthetic of the time.
It has been claimed that the first beer in the colonies was brewed in New Amsterdam. The
Dutch, who were “even more partial to beer than the English” discovered early on that beer could be
brewed using local ingredients, including wild hops, before traditional ingredients could be grown.6
Early brewing in the Dutch colonies was conducted in the home by many small family-run
3
Betsy Hunter Bradley, The Works: The Industrial Architecture of the United States. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999) p. 202. 4
Appel, p. 205. 5
Appel, p. 187. 6
Stanley Baron. Brewed In America: A History of Beer and Ale in the United States. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co., 1962) p. 20. 2 | L a F e v e r operations, but by 1632 the first commercial brewery was established in New Amsterdam by the
Dutch West India Company.7 The brewery was located on what came to be known as
Brouwerstraat or “Brewers Street” (now Stone Street) in what is now lower Manhattan, so named
for the numerous breweries that were located there in the early years of the settlement. Beer was
largely produced there then sold in one of several local taverns located throughout the town that the
brewery controlled. Brewing immediately became an important industry in the colony and beer
became an integral part of the culture, as more and more breweries and taverns were established.
The fact that many early Dutch brewers went on to become important political figures was proof
that the brewing industry was a significant business early on in New York.8 A map from 1660 shows
the proliferation of the brewers and taverns throughout the town, particularly along Brewers Street,
setting an early precedent for the brewing mecca New York was to become. [See Image 1]
By the time the settlement was turned over to the British in 1664, New Amsterdam had
evolved into the first real cosmopolitan city in the New World with a population of 1,600.9 The
local brewing industry continued to expand throughout the city during the 18th and early 19th
century. Between 1695 and 1796, 20 new breweries were established in New York City, many of
which were located on Brewer’s Street, unfortunately few of these operations lasted beyond the turn
of the 19th century.10 The addition of English-style ales to the market further diversified the
continually evolving industry. English techniques and top floating yeast were primarily used to
produce beer, ale, and porter, all of which were wildly sold in local markets and taverns. The
English style beers did not require cooling and were consumed at room temperatures.11 Although
beer styles were beginning to evolve, both the brewery form and the brewing process remained
7
Baron, p. 20. Baron, p. 22. 9
Baron, p. 22 10
Baron, p.68. 11
Kenneth Jackson, Ed. Encyclopedia of New York. (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995). “Brewing and Distilling” p. 136. 8
3 | L a F e v e r relatively unchanged and generally small and simple in layout.12 It wasn’t until the lager brewing
process was introduced by German immigrants in the 1840’s, drastically changing the entire brewing
industry, when the basic design of the brewery began to evolve dramatically, in order to reflect first
the functionality of the brewing spaces, and later cultural, social, and economic identities.
Just as the introduction of porter changed the history of English brewing, the same effect was
produced in the United States with the appearance of lager beer. Lager comes from the German
word "to store."13 Lager beer is brewed with a yeast that is fermented at the bottom of the vat at
colder temperatures, and then “lagered,” or stored, at a cool temperatures for a long period of time.
Lagering yeasts were first introduced in the United States in 1842 by a Bavarian brewmaster named
John Wagner.14 Lager beer was regarded for a very long time as something very new and different,
and its immense popularity amongst the American public did not arise right away. However, the
tidal wave of German immigration would quickly change that.
Between 1840 and 1860, over 1,350,000 Germans immigrated to the United States.15 The
huge influx of German immigrants was spurred by social and economic upheaval in Germany
following the uprisings of 1848.16 With the vast increase in the population of German immigrants,
the new lager style of beer became very popular. In 1850, there were a half-dozen or so taverns and
tap rooms in New York City that sold lager, and all of these were patronized by Germans.17
Eventually the general public caught on and by 1870, ale had fallen out of favor and lager was
largely accepted as the “universal” beer of New York City.18
One of the earliest lager beer breweries in New York was the F.M. Schaefer Brewery.
Founded by German brothers Frederick and Maximilian in 1842, the small brewing operation at
12
Appel, p. 186. Bill Yenne, The American Brewery: From Colonial Evolution to Microbrew Revolution. (St. Paul, MN: MBI Publishing, 2003), p. 29. 14
Baron, p. 177. 15
Anderson, p. 17. 16
Baron, p. 177. 17
“Lager and Weiss.” Brooklyn Eagle, 23 June 1873. 18
“Lager Beer, Where and How it is Made.” Brooklyn Eagle, 2 August 1870. 13
4 | L a F e v e r Broadway and 50th Street in Manhattan grew into one of the largest breweries in the United States.19
It was the first Manhattan brewery to move all operations to Brooklyn in 1916, and was the last of
the New York City breweries to close in 1976.
Lager beer was almost always brewed by German immigrants, and where German
immigrants settled in New York City, breweries were established there.20 German neighborhoods
developed in both Manhattan and Brooklyn and each area therefore become home to several
prominent brewery operations. Three of the largest New York City breweries in the late 19th century
were all German owned and operated, and were located together in the German neighborhood of
Yorkville on the Upper East Side. This area formed the nexus of German-American culture in
Manhattan and was known as "Kleinduetchland."21 The George Ehret Brewery, which later became
Hell’s Gate Brewery, opened in 1866 and by the 1870’s had become the largest brewery in the
country.22 The George Ringler Co. Brewery was founded in 1872 and operated a large brewery
operation between 90th and 92nd Streets and Second and Third Avenues. The Jacob Ruppert
Brewery was also opened in the early 1870’s and was the last brewery to leave Manhattan.23
Brooklyn breweries were largely located in Williamsburgh and Bushwick, in an area called
"Brewer's Row." After being incorporated into Brooklyn, these neighborhoods were referred to as
the East District. While the brewing industry in Brooklyn was slower than brewing in Manhattan to
materialize, with only two breweries in Brooklyn in 1825, by 1898 Brooklyn was home to 45
breweries, more than any other borough.24
Every brewer, no matter how small, had a tap room or "bier-stube." This is was a tasting
room used for social affairs and camaraderie. The consumption of lager beer was central to German
19
Anderson, p. 113. Yenne, p. 31. 21
Yenne, p. 55. 22
Yenne, p.55. 23
Yenne, p. 80. 24
Anderson, p. 15. 20
5 | L a F e v e r culture, and German immigrants patronized the local bier-stubes, supporting the local brewery
industry within their neighborhoods. [See Image 2]
With the influx of German immigrants also came the proliferation of German “biergartens”
or beer gardens. Beer gardens were immense buildings, capable of accommodating 400-1,200
people, that served beer and liquids at a small cost and provided music and wholesome
entertainment for hardworking immigrant families.25 The beer gardens were extremely popular
among German families, who would often spend evenings and weekends socializing at one of New
Yorks many beer gardens and consuming considerable quantities of lager beer.26 The Atlantic
Garden on Bowery and Canal, was one of New York’s most famous beer gardens. [See Image 3]
The popularity of the beer garden illustrates the immense effect that German culture and lager beer
had on the social customs of 19th century New York.
In addition to beer gardens, brewer’s picnics were another a popular social event related to
the lager beer industry. The Yorkville Brewer’s Battalion was a “benevolent and social organization
comprising the employees of the Ehret, Ruppert, and Ringler Breweries.” 27 The battalion not only
provided aid to its employees and supported local charities, but also hosted a parade and picnic for
their employees every year. In 1895, the 25th anniversary of the event, the picnic was attended by
10,000 people. The brewing industry in New York City was a virtual fraternity with strong social
ties that spread over many generations, rather than a hot bed of fierce competition.28 The Yorkville
Brewer's Battalion illustrates that sense of brotherhood of New York City breweries.
The transition to lager brewing over ale brewing dramatically altered the design of brewing
spaces. The biggest challenge faced by early lager brewers was the necessity to store beer in a cool,
undisturbed place for several months, year round.29 [See Image 4] The early solution was the
25
Baron, p. 180. Bill Yenne, The American Brewery: From Colonial Evolution to Microbrew Revolution. (St. Paul, MN: MBI Publishing, 2003), p.32. 27
“Brewers Have a Picnic.” The New York Times. 19 September 1895. 28
Anderson, p. 5. 29
Appel, p. 186. 26
6 | L a F e v e r construction of large underground storage chambers that kept the beer cool naturally. In the South
Bronx, the Hupel Brewery and Eagle Brewery took advantage of their geography and built storage
caves into the adjacent hillsides.30 The F.M. Schaefer Brewery dug out underground caves for
lagering into the solid bedrock under its Mid-Manhattan site at 50th and Fourth Avenue in 1849.
Fluctuating temperatures of underground lagering facilities regulated brewing to the cooler months
of the year. High demand required the exploration of year round cooling methods. Ice houses were
incorporated into the brewery complex in order to facilitate the brewing of lager beer year round.31
The ice house was an above ground structure that used natural ice to create a temperature controlled
environment. The ice house of the late 19th century brewery was a transitional development between
the underground and cave cellars of the past and the mechanically cooled stock houses made
possible by artificial refrigeration in the 20th century. Because it had such a dramatic effect on the
efficiency of the brewing process, the inventions of the ice machine and later mechanical
refrigeration were most widely adopted by the brewing industry very early on.32 [See Image 5] Increasing demand inspired more and more breweries to open in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
It also pushed many well established brewers to expand their existing facilities or build newer and
larger brewing complexes in an attempt to keep up with the phenomenally increasing demand. By
1879, the brewing industry had reached its peak, and there were 78 breweries in Manhattan and 43
in Brooklyn.33 New York City had established itself as the beer brewing capital of the United States.
As the industry grew, its success encouraged the invention of more efficient and economical
equipment, which helped to regulate the process more scientifically and further increased
production. New equipment forced the physical reorganization of the brewery spaces. The use of
heavy timber (and later steel) columns and beams helped make possible the vertical arrangement of
brewing equipment such as water tanks, malt hoppers, mash tubs, brew kettles and other equipment.
30
Norval White, Ellliot Willensky, and Fran Leadon, AIA Guide to New York. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010.) pg. 831. 31
Baron, p. 231. 32
Baron, p. 235. 33
Jackson, “Brewing and Distilling,” p. 136. 7 | L a F e v e r [See Image 6] The clearly organized, vertically aligned design allowed plenty of room for large
equipment on multiple floors. The floors also had enough strength to support the weight of several
levels of large liquid filled tanks. [See Image 7]
As brewing became more complex, the task of solving these spatial challenges became much
too complicated for traditional brewers and carpenters to handle. In the years following the Civil
War, professionally trained architects and engineers began to address the issues of brewery design,
including efficient organization of equipment, appropriate structuring of the building and
distribution of the weight of the equipment, and the incorporation of new architectural styles and
ideas.34 Brewery design as an architectural specialty began to grow and prosper along with the
brewing industry until prohibition.
Early brewery architects began to establish the essential design features that would transform
the vernacular brewery into a highly specialized and handsome form of industrial architecture. As
an industrial architectural type, breweries in particular have generally been more ornamental that
other factories, their elaborate detailing attempting to emphasize the good taste of the owner. The
exteriors were often detailed to reflect the desire to present an architectural presence that
corresponded to the magnitude of the brewery’s business rather than the technically advanced
aspects of the facilities.35 The most popular architectural style used for brewery construction in New
York City was the early Romanesque Revival. This style, as is seen at the George Ringler Co.
Brewery, incorporates the use of brick, round arches, corbelled blind arcades, and hints of
battlements. [See Images 8 & 9] The lager brewery stylings tied these American breweries to their
German heritage through Rundbogenstil, an eclectic style combining Romanesque and Renaissance
design elements.36 Most of the pioneer brewery architects were German-born, and some were
34
Appel, p. 187. Bradley, p. 204. 36
Appel, p.190. 35
8 | L a F e v e r known to have trained in German polytechnic schools. Therefore, the American brewery acquired a
double dose of German influence, both in physical building design, and brewing techniques.
The addition of more modern technology to the brewing process and expanded shipping
methods allowed brewers to branch out beyond local markets. As breweries expanded, few newer
breweries were established, and national market firms continued to expand, making it harder for
local breweries to compete. Furthermore, rising costs of inner city production contributed to the
decline in the brewing industry in New York City.37
Subsequent generations continued to design breweries with continued success up until the
onset of prohibition, but no era is as definitive as the late 19th century. The evolution of the brewery
form has been conditioned by its German heritage, innovations demanded by the growth of the
industry, and expertise of well trained architects and engineers and the success of breweries in the
19th century reflected the remarkable burgeoning of lager beer’s popularity with not only German
American immigrants, but the American public at large.
37
Anderson, p. 22. 9 | L a F e v e r Images:
Image 1: Brewers and Taverns of New Amsterdam (in black), 1660
(Image Courtesey of U.S. Brewers Association, via Stanley Baron. Brewed In America: A History of Beer and Ale
in the United States)
10 | L a F e v e r Image 2: Bier-Stube at the George Ringler Co. Brewery, c. 1897
(Image courtesy of "Colored Illustration Hand book showing the main departments of our large brewing
plant.” Geo. Ringler and Co. Brewers, New York Historical Society)
11 | L a F e v e r Image 3: The Atlantic Garden c.1872
(Courtesy NYPL Digital Collection, Mid-Manhattan Picture Collection)
12 | L a F e v e r Image 4: "Lagering" of Beer in Cold Storage Cellar
(Image courtesy of "Colored Illustration Hand book showing the main departments of our large brewing
plant.” Geo. Ringler and Co. Brewers, New York Historical Society)
13 | L a F e v e r Image 5: Example of an early Ice Machine in use at the George Ringler Co. Brewery
(Image courtesy of "Colored Illustration Hand book showing the main departments of our large brewing
plant.” Geo. Ringler and Co. Brewers, New York Historical Society)
14 | L a F e v e r Image 6: Section of a typical brewery structure showing vertical alignment of systems
(Image Courtesey of Stanley Baron, Brewed In America: A History of Beer and Ale in the United States)
15 | L a F e v e r Figure 7: Interior view of George Ringler Co. Brewery
(Image courtesy of "Colored Illustration Hand book showing the main departments of our large brewing
plant.” Geo. Ringler and Co. Brewers, New York Historical Society)
16 | L a F e v e r Figure 8: Exterior of George Ringler Co. Brewery, c. 1897
(Image courtesy of "Colored Illustration Hand book showing the main departments of our large brewing
plant.” Geo. Ringler and Co. Brewers, New York Historical Society)
17 | L a F e v e r Figure 9: Exterior of George Ringler Co. Brewery, Ice Machine Building and Stables, c. 1897.
(Image courtesy of "Colored Illustration Hand book showing the main departments of our large brewing
plant.” Geo. Ringler and Co. Brewers, New York Historical Society)
18 | L a F e v e r Bibliography:
Appel, Susan K., “Brewery Architecture in America From the Civil War to Prohibition,” The
Midwest In American Architecture. Ed. John S. Garner. University of Illinois Press, Urbana,
1991.
Baron, Stanley. Brewed In America: A History of Beer and Ale in the United States. Little, Brown, and
Co., Boston, 1962.
Bradley, Betsy Hunter. The Works: The Industrial Architecture of the United States. Oxford University
Press, New York, 1999.
"Brewers have a picnic," New York Times. 19 September 1895.
"Brooklyn Breweries: Interesting Facts about Making and Consuming Malt Liquors." Brooklyn Eagle,
5 December 1886.
"Colored Illustration Hand book showing the main departments of our large brewing plant.” Geo.
Ringler and Co. Brewers, ca. 1897.
“’Lager’ and ‘Weiss.’” Brooklyn Eagle. 23 June 1873. p. 2.
"Lager Beer: A Trip through the Breweries of Williamsburgh." Brooklyn Eagle, 12 August 1875. p. 2.
“Lager Beer: Where and How the Beverage is Made.” Brooklyn Eagle, 2 August 1870. p. 2.
Jackson, Kenneth, Ed. Encyclopedia of New York. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1995.
Stack, Martin. “Local and Regional Breweries in America’s Brewing Industry, 1865-1920.” The
Business History Review, vol. 74 (Autumn 2000) p.435-463. Accessed: 21 November 2011.
White, Norval, Ellliot Willensky, and Fran Leadon, Eds. AIA Guide to New York. Oxford University
Press, New York, 2010.
“William Ulmer Brewery Designation Report.” Landmarks Preservation Commission (LP-2280)
New York, City of New York, 2010, Prepared by Tara Harrison.
Yenne, Bill. The American Brewery: From Colonial Evolution to Microbrew Revolution. MBI Publishing,
St. Paul, Minnesota, 2003.
19 | L a F e v e r