Historic Structures

Wiessner Brewery - American Brewery, Baltimore Maryland

In 1853, ten years prior to the American Civil War, John F. Weissner (1831- 1897) arrived from Uhlfeld, Bavaria. He worked for several years in Baltimore before being hired to work at the brewery owned by George Rost. This is where Weissner became a brewmaster along side of his brother-in-law George Baurenschmidt, who would later prosper with his own brewery. In In 1862 Weissner returned to Bavaria to discuss with his family the plans to open his own brewery. A year later he returned with some money and family approval to build his own brewery. Levi and Henry Strauss, then in the malting business, extended Weissner credit for starting up his. Weissner opened his brewery, in 1863, and added his brewery to the twenty-one already in operation throughout Baltimore. The brewery was built on part of the estate known as Greenwood, originally established by Philip Rogers in 1807. It was Charles Rogers, grandson of Philip, who leased Weissner two acres and a dairy farm for his brewery site, which fronted Belair Avenue. It is reported that the brewery skirmished with Union soldiers who mooched the beer being produced.

Wiedemann Brewing Company, Newport Kentucky

The Wiedemann Brewing Company was founded by George Wiedemann. He immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1853. Initially living in New York State and after spending some time in Louisville, Kentucky, he moved to Cincinnati in 1855 when he entered the brewery business. In 1860, Mr. Wiedemann joined with John Kaufman in building a brewery on Vine Street in Cincinnati where he was appointed the foreman. In 1870 he became a partner with John Butcher, who was operating a small brewery on Jefferson Street in Newport, Kentucky. The business began to grow and soon became recognized as a major brewery in northern Kentucky and Cincinnati. In 1878 Wiedemann acquired the entire brewery and he continued to expand its operation. Over the years various buildings were constructed to meet the needs of the growing operation. In 1888 and 1889 construction of modern facilities was undertaken when several buildings were constructed including the Hops Storage building and the Malt House. With increase production capacity, the brewery began to command a greater share of the market. During the period before the turn of the century, Wiedemann acquired several smaller breweries. With these acquitions, the brewery established itself as the major brewery serving northern Kentucky. During the years, Mr. Wiedemann brought his two son's into the business. His eldest son, Charles, was sent to Munich in 1876-77 to learn the latest European brewing techniques. Upon his return, he was sent to Milwaukee to learn the developing brewing techniques being undertaken by America's leading brewers. He rejoined his father as Superintendent, then as Vice-President. With the death of his father, he was appointed President in 1890. He continued the distinctive brewing tradition with increased modernization, establishment of new markets, and attention to the quality of the beer.

Gebhard Brewery, Morris Illinois

The Gebhard Brewery consists of the Brewing House and Warehouse Building and the Bottling Plant. The Brewing House and Warehouse Building was erected about 1896 with additions constructed over the next decade. The Brewing House section rises four stories in height and, like the rest of the building, contains a steel frame with common-bond brick walls. The Brewing House and Warehouse Building measures approximately 80' x 60'. None of the brewing equipment remains. The Bottling Plant was erected ca. 1900 and consists of a two-and-one-half-story brick building with an interior wood frame. The building measures approximately 60' x 30' and has a gable roof and a stone foundation. Originally a one-and-one-half story brick building, the Gebhard Brewery, located on West Washington Street near Nettle Creek, was started in 1866 by Louis Gebhard. Gebhard's enterprise was successful, and by 1896 he had erected a large brick and steel building to replace the original building. The new building contained a large brewing room complete with a copper vat. Grain was prepared on the upper floors of the five-story brewing house. Less than ten years later a large brick and steel addition was built off the north facade of the brewing house. Another addition to the brewery, built at the same time, consisted of a two-and-one-half story brick and timber building which served as a bottling plant. William Gebhard succeeded his father in the business and used the wealth generated by the brewery to construct homes and commercial buildings in Morris. The Gebhard family eventually had the most extensive land holdings in the town.

Minneapolis Brewing Company - Grain Belt Brewery, Minneapolis Minnesota

In 1850, German immigrant John Orth established a brew house near the Mississippi River at the corner of Marshall Street and 13th Avenue NE in the rapidly expanding lumber city of St. Anthony (later Minneapolis). By the time Minnesota achieved statehood in 1858 eleven breweries were conducting business around the state. Two of these were located very close to Orth's company and became his major rivals: Gluek's Brewery had opened just one-half mile north on Marshall Street, and the Krazlein and Mueller Brewery was in business across the river. The establishment of these and other breweries (such as the Sugar Loaf Brewery in Winona, 1860, the August Schell Brewing Company in New Ulm, 1860, and Wolf's Brewery in Stillwater, 1872), reflected the industry's regional growth throughout the Upper Midwest. Expansion of the brewing industry was largely due to an influx of German immigrants who brought a strong brewing tradition and the requisite skills to such cities as Milwaukee, St. Louis, and Minneapolis. An 1862 federal brewing tax, however, adversely impacted the industry, forcing many smaller breweries to close or become absorbed by more successful companies. Between 1880-90, beer production nationwide increased 81 percent, yet the number of breweries decreased 43 percent from 2,191 to 1,248. Consistent with this trend, the Minneapolis Brewing and Malting Company was established in 1890 by the merger of four small Minneapolis breweries: the John Orth Brewing Co., the Heinrich Brewing Association, the Germania Brewing Co., and the F.D. Norenburg Brewing and Malthouse. By 1893, the Minneapolis Brewing and Malting Company adopted the Grain Belt beer label in reference to ...the golden fields of Minnesota ...the tall corn of Iowa...the vast reaches of the Dakotas...the green acres of Wisconsin!...America's Grain Belt. Construction of the brewery complex on Orth's property dramatically boosted the firm's production capacity around the state and region. The company was brewing 500,000 barrels annually by 1900, far greater than Gluek's output of 70,000, and quite respectable in comparison with the nation's leading producers - Milwaukee's Pabst and Schlitz - which had surpassed one million barrels a year.

Berman Buckskin Building - Home Insurance Company Building, Minneapolis Minnesota

Before the Home Insurance Company Building was constructed in late 1894 and early 1895, the comer of Hennepin A venue and North First Street was wellknown throughout the City of Minneapolis as the site of the city market. Harlow A. Gale's City Market was constructed here in 1876 from designs by Minneapolis architect LeRoy Buffington. Although Gale had a business on the corner as early as 1857, he did not own the site until 1873. The City of Minneapolis played a role in economic development at Bridge Square in the 1870s. Bridge Square was the area of lower Hennepin Avenue between the river and the junction of Hennepin and Nicollet avenues where the bridge crossed the Mississippi River into downtown Minneapolis. This 1854 suspension bridge, the first across the Mississippi River leading into Minneapolis down Hennepin Avenue, was a private venture, with shares sold to private local investors. These investors were compensated by the tolls collected. In 1876, the city built a second stone-towered suspension bridge to replace the original woodtowered suspension bridge. And it awarded a municipal franchise to Harlow A. Gale to construct a city market. The resulting City Market building functioned as the city market until its municipal franchise expired in 1891. The 1876 market building remained standing and vacant from 1892 until the fall of 1894 when it was torn down.

Gluek Brewing Company Hotel and Saloon, Minneapolis Minnesota

Two of the largest brewing firms in Minneapolis produced beer and ran combination saloons and lodging houses at the turn of the century. Both the Minneapolis Brewing Company and the Gluek Brewing Company controlled the market on Minneapolis' East Side in 1904. Gluek Brewing Company employed sixty men and had an annual output of 75,000 barrels from its Minneapolis brewery at 2002 Marshall Avenue N.E. The much larger Minneapolis Brewing Company employed over 200 men and annually produced 250,000 barrels of beer in Minneapolis. In addition to its brewing business, Gluek Brewing Company owned retail outlets and held licenses to operate neighborhood bars and lodging houses in Minneapolis, such as the location at 24 Hennepin Avenue. In one type of company operation, Gluek would loan money to retail liquor dealers and take their licenses as security. The building at 24 Hennepin Avenue was erected by Gluek in 1914 to replace the previous building which the company bought in 1905 and operated as the Bridge Square Hotel on the upper two floors with a company-run saloon and pool hall on the first floor. An adjacent building to the east at 18-20 Hennepin Avenue was part of the same hotel operation. At the end of 1913, Gluek demolished their old building at 24 Hennepin Avenue and built the subject building, designed by Christopher A. Boehme, in early 1914.

Fort Hill - McElhenny-Calhoun-Clemson House, Clemson South Carolina

The original owner was the Reverend James McElhenny, pastor of the Old Stone Church. Upon McElhenny's death, the house passed into the hands of Mrs. John Ewing Calhoun, John C. Calhoun's mother-in-law. From 1825 until 1836, John C. Calhoun rented the property from her and then gained full possession upon her death. Calhoun died in 1850, but the house remained in family possession. Notably, Calhoun's son-in-law, Thomas G. Clemson was owner from 1872-1888. In his will the property was given to the State of South Carolina for the establishment of an agricultural college. The will also stipulated that the house be preserved in perpetuity. The original ca. 1802 portion of the house was a simple four-room building with its front entrance on the north facade. During their years there, 1825-1850, the Calhouns enlarged the house to its present fourteen-room size, added the portico and porches, and reoriented the main entrance to the east. Many of these alterations were designed by Floride Bonneau Calhoun, Calhoun's wife. During the 1930's, the house ws restored by the South Carolina Division of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Transcontinential Terminus Train Depot, National City California

On June 15, 1868, Frank A. Kimball, a builder and contractor from New Hampshire met with Francois Pioche, the owner of Rancho de la Nacion. Kimball had moved west in 1861, first settling in San Francisco where he and his brothers enjoyed immense success in business. However, due to ill health, Frank had to seek warmer climates, and in 1868 he traveled to San Diego. While in San Diego, Kimball had the opportunity to view Rancho de la Nacion fronting on San Diego Bay. It was Kimball's belief that the rancho, with its miles of coastline and favorable climate, would be an ideal location for a new city. The rancho, an original Spanish land grant, had changed hands several times prior to Francois Pioche's ownership. Kimball purchased the land which included 23,623 acres and six miles of waterfront from Pioche for $30,000, and renamed his acquisition, The National Ranch.

Broad Street Train Station, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

North Philadelphia Railroad Train Station, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

At the turn of the century, the Pennsylvania Railroad was the largest railroad company in the country, challenged only by the New York Central. At one point, the Pennsylvania carried one out of every five passengers nationally. General freight accounted for much of the company's early business, but after the Civil War, revenue from passenger service increased to become a significant income source demanding more stations of increasingly high quality. Following the Civil War, established Philadelphia families came to firm control of the Railroad; one such leader was George B. Roberts (1833-1897), fifth president of the Pennsylvania. It was under his leadership that the Broad Street Station was constructed in 1881 and expanded in 1894. Commenced under his tenure was a significant program of capital improvements that included planning a new station at the important Germantown Junction.

Seaboard Airline Railway Station, West Palm Beach Florida

Henry M. Flagler's Florida East Coast Railroad Line reached Palm Beach in 1894. The Seaboard Airline Railroad Line laid tracks to Palm Beach as late as 1921-1924. It was after 1921 that the Seaboard Airline tracks reached West Palm Beach. Reference to the Seaboard Airline Railroad Station appears in a book printed in 1926. S. Davis Warfield was president of Seaboard Air Line and in 1924 Warfield built a cross-state line which serviced West Palm Beach and Miami and Homestead in 1926,making a direct rail connection from one coast to the other, across the state. In 1938 the Atlantic Coast Line and the Seaboard Airline Railroad Line formed a network over Florida. Trains were air-conditioned, and streamlined, and power was generated by Diesel-electric locomotives. Stockholders in the railroad were important Palm Beach residents, and this station combined their taste in architecture, and their desire for service and convenience, for the community related to their vacation and retirement residences.

Union Station - Bus Terminal, Atlantic City New Jersey

Union Station was constructed as a result of the 1933 merger between the Pennsylvania Railroad controlled West Jersey & Seashore line and the Reading Railroad controlled Atlantic City Railroad. The merger was an attempt to control costs. The new line was called the Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines. The Pennsylvania Railroad had taken over control of the Camden & Atlantic Railroad in 1883. The Camden & Atlantic was the original railroad which was responsible for Atlantic City's very existence. A group of investors led by Dr. Jonathan Pitney, an Absecon physician, obtained a charter for a railroad from Camden to Absecon Island in 1852. The railroad began service and Atlantic City was incorporated in 1854.

William Gibbes House, Charleston South Carolina

The William Gibbes House, built sometime shortly after 1772, and redecorated in 1794, is one of the finest two-story frame residences in America. The grandeur of its classical Georgian elevation is rivalled by the elegance of its very sophisticated Adamesque interiors, featuring richly carved wooden elements, fireplaces and mantles, plaster ceilings, and a dramatic upper floor ballroom, all integrated into the well known Charleston double-house floor plan. The lots upon which the house stands were acquired in 1772, and sometime between then and 1779, the house was completed. The forceful heaviness of the Georgian exterior is typical in feeling of the houses of this style during this period. The contrast we find on the interior is remarkable then with its essentially more delicate and detailed grace. This interior feeling was created by the redecoration of the house in 1794 by Mrs. Sarah Smith who acquired the residence for 25000 pounds, and was eager to make the place as up-to-date as possible. By this date, 1794, ths fashion for so-called Adamesque decoration had passed from England to her former colony and become we11 estab1ished.

Southern Pacific Train Station Post Office, Sacramento California

The Railway Post Office and Express Building was constructed by the Southern Pacific Transportation (formerly Railroad) Company. The Railway Express Building remained in the service of the American Railway Express Agency until the mid-1960s. At this time, a commercial enterprise, the Hang 'Em High pottery store leased the ground floor of the railway express building for the following two to three years. The second floor of the Railway Express Building was utilized by the Southern Pacific Railroad Company for Signal Department training classes until the mid-1980s.

John Brown House, Providence Rhode Island

John Brown was the youngest of three sons of a wealthy prominent Providence family of merchants. In 1771 he left the family firm, probably as a result of his interest in the slave trade, which was strongly opposed by his older brother Moses, a Quaker. One of his ships, the General Washington, was the first Rhode Island vessel to the East Indies and one of the first American ships to sail on Chinese waters. Brown was an ardent patriot, and was deeply implicated in the Gaspee affair of 1772, a harbinger of the American Revolution. Brown ships supplied gunpowder and war materials for American forces and after the war he was one of the major proponents for bringing a reluctant Rhode Island into the union of states.

Reynolds-Morris House, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

The house was built in 1786 by John Reynolds, a brickmaker, and William Reynolds, a physician, on a plot of ground which was far on the outskirts of the developed city. All other major townhouses of the period were located around Second and Third Streets in the finer residential section. It is likely that John Reynolds was architect and builder of the house. Later in the economic slump which followed the Revolutionary War, he overextended himself in real estate speculation and lost his house in 1796 to Ann Dunkin at a sheriff's sale. In 1817 the house was resold to Luke Wistar Morris, son of Captain Samuel Morris, founder of Philadelphia First City Troop. He was a brewer and his house became a center of social life for the city. Seven generations of Morrises lived in the house, building several rear additions in keeping with the original design of the building and not evident from the street facade. In 1914 the Morrises tore down two adjoining houses built in the 19th century for members of the family and restored the north and south sides of the house to their original appearance. The interior of the house was restored during the ownership of Effingham B. Morris, who died in 1955, and completed in the early 1960s when the house was owned by A. W. Ayer and Company. They used it as a guest house until 1968 when it was sold again as a private family residence.

Cliveden - Chew House, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

The Chew House was built in 1763-64 by Benjamin Chew, then Attorney General of Pennsylvania, at Cliveden, his country estate. With the outbreak of the Revolution, Chew, whose patriotism was doubted, was relieved of his political duties, and was paroled to New Jersey. Thus on October 4, 1777, it was not Chew, but Colonel Musgrave and six companies of British infantry who were occupying Cliveden. This outpost was a full mile in advance of the main British line which Howe had positioned in Germantown to defend Philadelphia from Washington's forces which were encamped on Skippack Creek to the northwest. Washington began his attack on the night of March 3 in a march on Germantown. His forces were divided into two columns, one under Sullivan, and the other under Greene, while Lord Stirling held his troops in reserve. Sullivan arrived at Germantown at dawn, and despite the heavy fog, pushed back the enemy outguards until he reached Cliveden. Greene, however, lost his direction and arrived late on the scene. As the colonials attacked Musgrave barricaded his troops in the Chew House and stoutly resisted the assault. Knox, commanding the American artillery, blew in the main entrance, but his fire had little effect on the solid masonry walls. Musgrave continued to hold out while Sullivan pushed on to attack the main British line. In the ensuing engagement, Sullivan's troops were mistakenly fired upon by fellow soldiers and then for reasons not entirely clear, their line broke. Greene was forced to extricate his forces and retreat back to Skippack Creek. Cliveden had not fallen. The main house is two-and-a-half stories, with a full cellar, and measures 54 by 44 feet in size. The front exhibits the characteristic facade emphasis found in Georgian architecture: the front wall being built of regular ashlar gray stone masonry, and the others of rubble masonry stuccoed and grooved to simulate ashlar. The belt course, window sills, and lintels are made of dressed sandstone, and the lintels are grooved to simulate flatkeyed arches. The gable roof has arched dormers with flanking scrolls, a heavy cornice with prominent modillions, and five large urns are positioned on the roof. The large windows have 24 panes, and panelled shutters adorm the first floor windows.

Stenton Mansion - James Logan Home, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

James Logan, one of the founders of the American scientific school, is relatively unknown today. Perhaps because he wrote little, perhaps because Benjamin Franklin's image is so dominant, the Nation has shown little interest in a man who erudition and work almost equalled the sagacity and achievements of Franklin. Logan was a kind of universal man in the Renaissance tradition — statesman, writer, scientist, philosopher, says a biographer; and as a scientist he demands consideration in any study of American science. Born in the north of Ireland in 1674, Logan arrived in Philadelphia in 1699 as William Penn's secretary. Logan, during the next fifty years, occupied a key position in the affairs of Pennsylvania, contributing much to the rapid and successful development of the colony. His seat in the colony's council underscored his political influence, and between 1731-39 he acted as the chief justice of Pennsylvania's court system. Moreover, throughout Logan's career he was the colony's best and most respected negotiator with the Indians. His public life did not prevent him from amassing a fortune from the fur trade, however, which enabled him to retire to his country estate, Stenton, in 1730. Even so, when Pennsylvania faced a crisis in 1736, Logan did not hesitate to re-enter public service, and he became acting governor.

Schuyler Mansion, Albany New York

The Schuyler Mansion is a fine example of the fully developed Georgian mansion as it appeared in the American colonies. It served for over 40 years as the home of General Philip Schuyler, who played an important political and military role in the affairs of his colony and of the new nation. Schuyler evidently began planning the house in 1760. Construction was underway by March 1761, when Schuyler sailed for England, leaving a friend to supervise the ongoing work. In England he purchased wallpapers, window glass, and fabrics for the house. Schuyler returned from England in 1762, and appears to have supervised the interior finishings, not completed until 1764.

Blendon Estate, Owings Mills Maryland

The Blendon Estate is the northernmost portion of the Caves Estate operated by the Carroll family during the 18th and 19th century. The land was first acquired by Dr. Charles Carroll in the 1730's and 1750's. By the time that the original wing of the tenant house and the hank barn on the Blendon section of the estate were constructed in the 19th century, the Caves property had grown to 2,500 acres. Under the ownership of John Henry Carroll (1803-56) and his son John Nicholas Carroll (1847-1926), the Caves was a grain and livestock farm, consisting of multiple fields extending on both sides of what is now Park Heights Avenue and Caves Road. On sloping land such as is found surrounding the site of the tenant house and nearby bank barn, livestock production seems to have been paramount. The tenants of the Carrolls resided in the dwelling and raised the livestock and hay needed for feed in their portion of the estate. Hay was stored in the main level of the barn, and the livestock were kept in pens in the lower level. The Caves mansion house and main cluster of outbuildings stood over a mile to the southwest, across what is now Park Heights Avenue. In 1897, the son of John Henry Carroll, John Nicholas Carroll (1847-1926) defaulted on a mortgage he had taken on the Caves estate, and the tract was sold at auction. The portion containing the tenant house and barn passed in 1925 to Janon Fisher, a retired engineer who resided in the Caves mansion to the south of the parcel containing the barn. In 1935, Fisher and his wife sold the 110 acres surrounding the barn and tenant house immediately to the south to Richard E. Breed, 3rd, President of the General Perm Refining Co. of Baltimore. It was probably Breed who erected the Breed-Krongard House, the large, Neo-Georgian residence that now stands on the top of the hill above the barn. Breed, who lived on the property until selling it in 1946, apparently also remodeled the lower level of the barn to serve as a garage and horse stable. Since 1946 the estate has been known as Blendon, a name that Breed may have given it. Three other families owned Blendon and resided there during the period since World War II.