American Brewery (building)

Infobox_nrhp | name =American Brewery Building - Baltimore
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caption =American Brewery Building
location= Baltimore, Maryland
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The American Brewery is an historic former brewery located at 1700 North Gay Street in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A.. [ [http://www.nr.nps.gov/iwisapi/explorer.dll?IWS_SCHEMA=NRIS1&IWS_LOGIN=1&IWS_REPORT=100000044 United States National Register of Historic Places] ]

History

Built in 1887 by John Frederick Wiessner, a German immigrant, the American Brewery in East Baltimore was one of the largest breweries in the state of Maryland. At its peak, the brewery employed 61 workers; 16 in brewery work, 17 drivers, 14 bottling house, 8 garage men, and 6 office workers. [ [http://www.americanbreweriana.org/history/wiessner.htm John F. Wiessner & Sons Brewery] ] The central tower of the building housed a 10,000 bushel grain elevator. [Mitchell IV, Alexander D. "Baltimore Then & Now" (2002) p. 132-33. Thunder Bay Press, San Diego, California. ISBN 1-57145-688-0] Prohibition forced the shut down of the facility in 1920. The Weissner family sold the brewery to the American Malt Company in 1931, [ [http://www.mdhs.org/Library/baltarch/Page4.html MHS Library] ] who modernized the interior equipment and operated the brewery until 1973. The building was listed that year in the National Registry of Historic Sites and has been vacant ever since.

Redevelopment

Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse, Humanim Inc., and Gotham Development LLC have announced plans to redevelop the Brewhouse building and bottling plant into a social and human services center and a new Baltimore headquarters for Humanin Inc.

The project consists of two phases: the Brewhouse and the Bottle Building. The Brewhouse, a convert|30000|sqft|m2|sing=on building that once served as the main brewing facility, will be transformed into Humanim’s Baltimore headquarters. Humanim is a 35-year old Maryland-based social and human services provider that has delivered programs and services in East Baltimore for the last 20 years. The Bottle Building, a convert|60000|sqft|m2|sing=on c. 1937 industrial building will be converted into a center for organizations working in community arts, community services and small business development. The Brewhouse is scheduled to start construction in summer 2007 with completion scheduled for the summer 2008. The Bottle Building is scheduled to start construction in 2008 with completion in 2009. [http://www.sber.com/baltimore/american_brewery.php Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse Development] ]

The neighborhood around the brewery building has long been in decline and has been largely forgotten by politicians and the media during the later half of the 20th century. Once a vibrant area, about half of the homes and other buildings in the area have been demolished or are vacant. Basic services such as grocery stores and restaurants have disappeared as well. In 2006, the City of Baltimore moved to acquire 200 abandoned properties in the area for future demolition or rehabilitation. [ [http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/baltimore_city/bal-md.ci.brewery17may17,0,6245837.story Baltimore Sun - May 17, 2007] ]

The rehabilitation of the American Brewery may serve as an impetus for further investment in the East Baltimore neighborhood. Due to its central location in a struggling neighbhorhood, interior space, and architectural quality, the brewery is seen by urban planners as an anchor for future community and economic development initiatives in the area. It is hoped that new employment and social services will attract additional investors, improving the quality of life for current and future residents.

References

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/baltimore/index.htm Baltimore, Maryland, a National Park Service "Discover Our Shared Heritage" Travel Itinerary]