Nevada Brewery

Nevada Brewery
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location:	107 Sacramento Street Nevada City, California
Coordinates:	39°15′42″N 121°0′53″W / 39.26167°N 121.01472°W / 39.26167; -121.01472Coordinates: 39°15′42″N 121°0′53″W / 39.26167°N 121.01472°W / 39.26167; -121.01472
Built:	1882
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	85002303
Added to NRHP:	September 12, 1985

The Nevada Brewery (also known as: Old Nevada Brewery, or Old Stone Brewery, or Stonehouse) is a historic building located at 107 Sacramento Street in Nevada City, California. A brewery on the site dates back to 1857, with granite walls constructed in 1882.^[1] The Nevada Brewery's time of significance was during the period of 1850 through 1899.^[2] Though its original use was as a brewery, it later served the community as a restaurant, bowling alley, stable, and dance hall.^[3]

Structure

In 1882, George Gehrig, a local businessman, hired Italian stonemasons and Chinese laborers to construct a building up the street from the blacksmith's shop.^[4] While the architect, builder, and engineer are unknown,^[2] the three-story structure was constructed from locally quarried granite blocks. The stone and wood building is 10,000 sq ft (930 m²) in size.

Antique fixtures came from the Sarah and John Kidder home in Grass Valley, California.^[3] An owner of the brewery believed that the carved wooden doors were also from the Kidder mansion.^[5]

Construction included a storage cave dug into the hillside,^[3] used for aging casks of ale.^[6] It was accessed from inside the building during the time the building covered a space that's now a patio area.^[3] The cave had been connected to other parts of the city via tunnels that were filled in almost a hundred years later when California State Route 49 became a freeway.^[6]

After being vacant for more than two decades, the building was renovated in 2004 and opened as the Stonehouse Restaurant, featuring a 1884 backbar from Chicago, Illinois.^[3] Eventually, the restaurant closed, leaving the historic building again without an occupant.

Historic recognition

The Nevada Brewery was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on September 12, 1985.

A bronze plaque attached to the building states:

"The Old Brewery
Constructed of granite blocks from the Sierras about 1882 where Simon C Hieronimus and family brewed and served lager beer to Nevada City, Queen of the Northern Mines and hydraulic mining communities.
Dedicated April 21, 1985"^[3]

The Stonehouse was honored in 2008 by the California Heritage Council.^[7]

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Nevada County, California

References

1. ^ "Historical Buildings". nevadacitychamber.com. http://www.nevadacitychamber.com/play/area_sites.cfm. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Nevada Brewery (added 1985 - Building - #85002303)". nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com. http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/CA/Nevada/state.html. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} "The Stonehouse History". stonehouse1857.com. http://www.stonehouse1857.com/htmls/history.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 
4. ^ Brower, Maria E. (2005). Nevada City. Arcadia Publishing. pp. 52. ISBN 073853062X. http://books.google.com/books?id=iHuRJOXuev8C&pg=PA108&lpg=PA108&dq=%22George+Gehrig%22+brewery&source=bl&ots=B7r7AooZN5&sig=JvcOqWKUleE-LE9FPV9BJKT78j4&hl=en&ei=KXobSrTvMqW8tAPA8q3WCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#PPA52,M1. 
5. ^ Karpa, Grace (January 30, 2003). "'Sleeping giant' awakens, New owner seeks ideas for brewery". The Union. http://www.theunion.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Site=TU&Date=20030130&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=101300053&Ref=AR. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 
6. ^ ^{a b} "National Register #85002303". noehill.com. http://www.noehill.com/nevada_county_california/nat1985002303.asp. Retrieved 2009-05-26. 
7. ^ "2008 California Heritage Council Award Nominees". californiaheritagecouncil.org. http://www.californiaheritagecouncil.org/chcrecentawards.php. Retrieved 2009-05-26.