Brewerytown, Philadelphia facts for kids
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Brewerytown Historic District
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 Location in Philadelphia
Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
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| Location | Roughly bounded by Cecil B Moore Ave., Poplar St., 25th. and N. 33rd Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
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| Area | 34.8 acres (14.1 ha) |
| Architect | William Decker |
| Architectural style | Queen Anne, Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 91000096 |
| Added to NRHP | March 1, 1991 |
Brewerytown is a neighborhood in the North Philadelphia section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. An unofficial region, Brewerytown runs approximately between the Schuylkill River's eastern bank and 25th Street, bounded by Cecil B. Moore Avenue to the north and Parrish Street to the south. Brewerytown got its name because of the numerous breweries that were located along the Schuylkill during the late 19th century and early 20th century. It is now primarily a residential neighborhood, with a growing and active commercial sector along Girard Avenue.
History
The earliest indications of this legacy can be seen on maps from the 1860s, which list several minor brewers and distillation facilities in this region. Proximity to the river and nearby farmland allowed these establishments to flourish, and as demands increased, so did development in Brewerytown. Much of the expansion into the early 20th century was handled by architect Otto Wolf, who oversaw the construction of over 60 buildings in the area, bringing a distinct German texture to the houses, saloons, and breweries of the area. Some of his buildings are still standing, including the Bergdoll Brewing complex, and F.A. Poth Brewing. Columbia Park, the first home of the Philadelphia Athletics major league baseball team, was located at 30th and Oxford Streets in the neighborhood.
At its peak, 700 breweries operated across Philadelphia, several in a ten-block area of Brewerytown. Unfortunately, with the collapse of local industry later in the 20th century, originally started by the implementation of Prohibition in the United States, and beer production moving primarily to the Midwest, every single brewer had vanished by 1987. The industry has slowly returned to the city, but at nowhere near the capacity of its heyday. As of 2016, the only active brewery in Brewerytown is Crime & Punishment Brewing Company, which opened in 2015. During this late 20th-century slump, the entirety of North Philadelphia, Brewerytown included, was hit hard by economic depression, white flight and a myriad of other factors. Much of the area was deemed blighted by the city government. For the last few decades until recently, Brewerytown has been a predominantly poor, African-American neighborhood.
In 1991, the Brewerytown Historic District was certified by the National Register of Historic Places. The district contains 380 buildings and is roughly bounded by 30th St., Girard Ave., 32nd St. and Glenwood Ave.
Breweries
Breweries that operated in the neighborhood included:
- Bergner & Engel Brewing Company (Thompson Street between 32nd and 33rd, east side)
- Charles Eisner Brewery (Thompson Street between 32nd and 33rd, west side)
- F. A. Poth Brewing Company (31st & Jefferson Streets, NW corner)
- H. Mueller Centennial Brewery (31st & Jefferson Streets, NE corner)
- J. & P. Baltz Brewing Company (31st & Thompson Streets)
- Arnholt & Schaefer Brewing Company (31st and Thompson Streets, NE corner)
- G. Keller's Brewery (31st Street, west side, between Jefferson and Master)
- J. Bentz' Brewery (31st Street, west side, between Jefferson and Master)
- Thomas Perot Brewery (31st and Master Streets, NW corner)
- W. S. Perot (32nd and Thompson Streets, NW corner)
- Goldbeck & Eisele (31st and Thompson Streets, NE corner)
- Geo. F. Rothacker Brewery (31st Street, West side, between Thompson and Master)
- Eble & Herter (33rd Street and Pennsylvania Avenue)
- Francis Orth (later Burg & Pfaender, later Bergdoll Brewery; 33rd Street, south of Master Street)
- Henzler & Flach Brewery
- City Park Brewery (29th and Parrish Streets)
- Commonwealth Brewing Company (28th and Cambridge Streets)
- Keystone State Brewery (27th and Parrish Streets)
- Peter Schemm and Son (West College Ave. and Poplar Street)
- India Pale Ale Brewery (38th Street and Girard Avenue)
- Michel Gosse (27th & Thompson Streets)
Transportation
SEPTA Route 15, a heritage streetcar line, runs through the neighborhood and connects to Girard Station on the Broad Street Line as well as the Market Frankford Line further east at Front Street. Bus Routes 7, 48, and 49 also serve the area, traveling along North 29th Street between the Strawberry Mansion and Fairmount neighborhoods and crossing the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to and from Center City
