Schoenhofen Brewery Historic District

Infobox_nrhp | name =Schoenhofen Brewery Historic District
nrhp_type =

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caption =
location= Chicago, IL
area =
built =1878
architect= Administration Building, Adolph Cudell; Powerhouse, Richard Schmidt, Hugh M. G. Garden
architecture= late-Victorian, Prairie School
added = December 27, 1978
governing_body = Local
refnum=78001128 cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

The Schoenhofen Brewery Historic District is centered around the former site of the Peter Schoenhofen Brewing Company at 18th and Canalport Avenue in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Beginning in the mid 1880s, Peter Schoenhofen was among a group of brewers in Chicago who transformed production methods and utilized expanding transportation options. By 1900, there were sixty Chicago breweries that collectively produced over 100 million gallons of beer per year. The Schoenhofen brewery building survived prohibition and competition from national brands, and is still used for bottling beverages, although no longer beer. Breweries, food factories, and stockyards dotted the Chicago area by the mid-20th century. The Schoenhofen Brewery was typical of the region, although enterprises were not located in the city center, but along the new rail lines.

Overview

Of the 17 buildings during the brewery's maximum size, the two remaining buildings, demonstrate the shift in architectural taste that occurred at the turn of the century. The brewery's administration building, constructed in 1886, containes ornate designs of the late-Victorian era. The powerhouse, constructed in 1902 in the Prairie School-style, is less ornate, instead relying on the organization of its facades and ornamental brickwork for visual impact.

The brewery district was listed as on the National Register of Historic Places on December 27 1978 and the Administration Building and Powerhouse were later designated Chicago Landmarks on July 13 1988. [cite web|url=http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/S/Schoenhofen.html|title=Schoenhofen Brewery|publisher=Chicago Dep. of Pl. and Dev., Landmarks Div.|date=2003|accessdate=2007-07-06]

References

External links

* [http://www.forgottenchicago.com/schoen.php ForgottenChicago.com's Excellent page on the History of the Schoenhofen Complex with illustrations]