Brewerytown, Philadelphia facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
|
|
Brewerytown Historic District
|
|
 |
|
 Location in Philadelphia
Location in Pennsylvania
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Roughly bounded by Cecil B Moore Ave., Poplar St., 25th. and N. 33rd Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| 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 cool neighborhood located in the North Philadelphia part of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It's not an official area with exact borders, but it generally stretches from the eastern bank of the Schuylkill River to 25th Street. Its northern edge is Montgomery Avenue, and its southern edge is Parrish Street.
Brewerytown got its name because many breweries (places where beer is made) were located along the Schuylkill River in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Today, it's mostly a neighborhood with homes, but it also has a growing and busy shopping area along Girard Avenue.
Contents
History of Brewerytown
Maps from the 1860s show that this area was home to several small German breweries and places that made spirits. Being close to the river and nearby farms helped these businesses grow. As more people wanted their products, Brewerytown grew bigger. By the early 1900s, it was a busy German settlement.
A lot of the building during this time was done by an architect named Otto Wolf. He designed over 60 buildings in the area. His work gave the houses, saloons, and breweries a special German look. Some of his buildings are still standing today, like parts of the Bergdoll Brewing complex and the F.A. Poth Brewing buildings.
Brewerytown was also important in sports history! Jefferson Street Grounds, located at 27th and Jefferson Streets, was the first home of the Philadelphia Athletics major league baseball team. It was even the site of the very first Major League Baseball game ever played. The neighborhood was also home to the famous Columbia Park.
At its busiest, Philadelphia had 700 breweries, and many of them were right here in Brewerytown. However, things changed. A law called Prohibition in the United States made it illegal to make and sell alcohol for a while. Later, most beer production moved to the Midwest. Because of these changes, by 1987, no breweries were operating in Brewerytown.
The brewing industry has slowly started to return to Philadelphia, but it's much smaller than it used to be. As of 2022, the only active brewery in Brewerytown is Crime & Punishment Brewing, which opened in 2015.
During the late 1900s, Brewerytown and the rest of North Philadelphia faced tough economic times. Many parts of the area needed a lot of repair and new development. In 1991, the Brewerytown Historic District was officially recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. This means its important old buildings are protected. The district includes 380 buildings and is generally located between Cecil B Moore Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, 25th Street, and North 33rd Street.
Famous Breweries of the Past
Many breweries operated in Brewerytown over the years. Some of the well-known ones included:
- Bergner & Engel Brewing Company
- F. A. Poth Brewing Company
- J. & P. Baltz Brewing Company
- City Park Brewery
- Peter Schemm and Son
Getting Around Brewerytown
The SEPTA Route 15 is a special streetcar line that runs through Brewerytown. It connects to the Girard Station on the Broad Street Line and the Market–Frankford Line further east. Bus Routes 7, 48, and 49 also serve the area. These buses travel along North 29th Street and cross the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to and from Center City.
Schools in the Area
Students in Brewerytown attend schools within the School District of Philadelphia. Three K-8 (kindergarten to 8th grade) schools serve parts of the historic district: Edward Gideon, William Kelley, and Robert Morris. Students from Robert Morris are zoned to Vaux High School, while students from the other two schools are zoned to Strawberry Mansion High School.
