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Brewery District
The Brewery District, traditionally known as the Old German Brewing District, is a neighborhood located in Columbus, Ohio. Located just south of the central business district and west of German Village, it is bounded by Interstate 70 on the north, South Pearl Street on the east, Greenlawn Avenue on the south, and the Scioto River on the west.
The confluence of the Scioto River, the Columbus Feeder canal, and a spring-fed ravine made this area ideal for opening breweries. The first brewery was opened by Louis Hoster, Jacob Silbernagel and George M. Herancourt in 1836. Hoster soon bought out his other two partners, and significantly increased production of the beer that bore his name. Seeing the success of the brewery, other local businessmen opened additional breweries. At its peak the Brewery District was host to other major breweries: Schlegel Bavarian Brewery/Schlee Brewery (1849-Prohibition), Born's Capitol Brewery (1859-Prohibition), Gambrinus Brewing Company (1905–1974)
Soon after the opening of the breweries, homes were built in the area to house brewery and other industry workers. The area has a mix of German style 1+1⁄2-story, brick homes and Italianate. Today, many of these historical homes remain and add character of the Brewery District. Carved stone lintels, round, curved windows and doors, and hood moldings are just a few examples of architectural elements that are preserved in the district. The Brewery District Commission, established by an ordinance in 1993, is made up of seven appointees who are charged with the duty to, “preserve, protect, and enhance the unique architectural and historical features of the Brewery District.”
The Commission considers and approves applications for exterior alterations to facades of buildings within the Brewery District limit in hopes of maintaining its character. The breweries flourished during the Civil War, keeping pace with new innovations in the industry as they came, but a little later on, this modernization along with economic depression, caused smaller breweries to struggle. Because some breweries were able to modernize and combine many aspects of their brewing process into one- such as malting, bottling and other steps- the smaller breweries which could not carry out this modernization had to consolidate or close. By 1904, the remaining three large breweries had to merge into the Columbus Brewing Company, mostly due to Temperance movements gaining momentum in that time in Ohio and the start of World War I. In 1919, the 18th Amendment began Prohibition and City Brewery, along with the rest of the remaining breweries, was forced to shut down. Eventually, over the next seventy years, the buildings were sold off and used for various purposes including manufacturing and ware housing. The German character of the area was diminished as most of the German families moved away from the area in order to find jobs after the closing of the breweries.
For the most part, the Brewery District is flat, with the exception of a 30-foot drop in terrain elevation further south. The Whittier Street Peninsula is also a 100-year floodplain, but there are no restrictions on development there because of this.
The brewery district's four sub-areas each has a distinct personality. They are the Northern Tier, the Transitional Tier, the Southern Tier, and the Whittier Street Peninsula.
The Northern Tier is bounded by 1–70 on the north, Pearl Street on the east, Sycamore on the south and Short Street on the west. This tier is close to the Scioto River and has much of the district's earliest development. It is characterized by its remaining historic, industrial buildings featuring much brick and having very little to no setback. Some industry still remains in this tier, but the area has experienced large-scale re-development. The Germania Singing and Sport Society building, the former Schlee Mansion, is the oldest building on Front Street. This building, at 543 S. Front Street, (photo to the right) and its carriage house both appear in a 1870 city plat. The Schlee Brewery was recently adapted for mixed-use, including some residential units and specialty commercial spaces. This Schlee Brewery project and others have set the tone for this tier's re-development. In July 2019, it was announced that the L. Hoster Brewing Company site (including the former Wasserstrom Building) at Front Street and Livingston Avenue would have a $70 million redevelopment. The Hoster site is proposed to include a hotel and restaurant.
The Southern Tier includes the area south of Frankfort to Greenlawn Avenue, between Pearl Street and the Conrail tracks. This area is primarily residential and is composed mainly of two- or three-story brick buildings with front yards, streets with side alleys, and other features common in residential neighborhoods. Architectural styles are similar to those in German Village. A loss of character has occurred in some areas of the district due to demolition and re-construction of homes.
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Brewery District
The Brewery District, traditionally known as the Old German Brewing District, is a neighborhood located in Columbus, Ohio. Located just south of the central business district and west of German Village, it is bounded by Interstate 70 on the north, South Pearl Street on the east, Greenlawn Avenue on the south, and the Scioto River on the west.
The confluence of the Scioto River, the Columbus Feeder canal, and a spring-fed ravine made this area ideal for opening breweries. The first brewery was opened by Louis Hoster, Jacob Silbernagel and George M. Herancourt in 1836. Hoster soon bought out his other two partners, and significantly increased production of the beer that bore his name. Seeing the success of the brewery, other local businessmen opened additional breweries. At its peak the Brewery District was host to other major breweries: Schlegel Bavarian Brewery/Schlee Brewery (1849-Prohibition), Born's Capitol Brewery (1859-Prohibition), Gambrinus Brewing Company (1905–1974)
Soon after the opening of the breweries, homes were built in the area to house brewery and other industry workers. The area has a mix of German style 1+1⁄2-story, brick homes and Italianate. Today, many of these historical homes remain and add character of the Brewery District. Carved stone lintels, round, curved windows and doors, and hood moldings are just a few examples of architectural elements that are preserved in the district. The Brewery District Commission, established by an ordinance in 1993, is made up of seven appointees who are charged with the duty to, “preserve, protect, and enhance the unique architectural and historical features of the Brewery District.”
The Commission considers and approves applications for exterior alterations to facades of buildings within the Brewery District limit in hopes of maintaining its character. The breweries flourished during the Civil War, keeping pace with new innovations in the industry as they came, but a little later on, this modernization along with economic depression, caused smaller breweries to struggle. Because some breweries were able to modernize and combine many aspects of their brewing process into one- such as malting, bottling and other steps- the smaller breweries which could not carry out this modernization had to consolidate or close. By 1904, the remaining three large breweries had to merge into the Columbus Brewing Company, mostly due to Temperance movements gaining momentum in that time in Ohio and the start of World War I. In 1919, the 18th Amendment began Prohibition and City Brewery, along with the rest of the remaining breweries, was forced to shut down. Eventually, over the next seventy years, the buildings were sold off and used for various purposes including manufacturing and ware housing. The German character of the area was diminished as most of the German families moved away from the area in order to find jobs after the closing of the breweries.
For the most part, the Brewery District is flat, with the exception of a 30-foot drop in terrain elevation further south. The Whittier Street Peninsula is also a 100-year floodplain, but there are no restrictions on development there because of this.
The brewery district's four sub-areas each has a distinct personality. They are the Northern Tier, the Transitional Tier, the Southern Tier, and the Whittier Street Peninsula.
The Northern Tier is bounded by 1–70 on the north, Pearl Street on the east, Sycamore on the south and Short Street on the west. This tier is close to the Scioto River and has much of the district's earliest development. It is characterized by its remaining historic, industrial buildings featuring much brick and having very little to no setback. Some industry still remains in this tier, but the area has experienced large-scale re-development. The Germania Singing and Sport Society building, the former Schlee Mansion, is the oldest building on Front Street. This building, at 543 S. Front Street, (photo to the right) and its carriage house both appear in a 1870 city plat. The Schlee Brewery was recently adapted for mixed-use, including some residential units and specialty commercial spaces. This Schlee Brewery project and others have set the tone for this tier's re-development. In July 2019, it was announced that the L. Hoster Brewing Company site (including the former Wasserstrom Building) at Front Street and Livingston Avenue would have a $70 million redevelopment. The Hoster site is proposed to include a hotel and restaurant.
The Southern Tier includes the area south of Frankfort to Greenlawn Avenue, between Pearl Street and the Conrail tracks. This area is primarily residential and is composed mainly of two- or three-story brick buildings with front yards, streets with side alleys, and other features common in residential neighborhoods. Architectural styles are similar to those in German Village. A loss of character has occurred in some areas of the district due to demolition and re-construction of homes.