American Brewing Company Plant
American Brewing Company Plant | |
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| Location | 431 Harris Ave. Providence, Rhode Island |
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| Coordinates | 41°49′29″N 71°26′6″W / 41.82472°N 71.43500°W |
| Built | 1892 |
| Architect | Adam C. Wagner |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 16000395[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 21, 2016 |
The American Brewing Company Plant, owned by the American Brewing Company, is a historic brewery complex at 431 Harris Avenue in Providence, Rhode Island that operated between 1892 and 1922. It is a well-preserved example of a state of the art late 19th century brewery building, its original functions still discernible in its layout. It was only used as a brewery until 1922, when it was shut down by Prohibition; it has served as a warehouse and storage facility for most of the time since. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.[1]
Description and history
[edit]The American Brewing Company Plant is located in Providence's Federal Hill neighborhood at the northeast corner of Harris Avenue and Eagle Street. The principal building of the plant is a three-story brick structure with stone trim. Decorative features include round-arched windows set in recessed panels, a rusticated stone stringcourse between the first and second floors, and brick piers with corbelling separating some of the windows at the upper levels. This building was designed by Adam Wagner, a well-known designer of breweries, and was built in 1892. Also on the property are a c. 1900 ice house, a 1911 boiler house, and several modern garages. The order of operations of large-scale beer brewing are still evident in the interior of the building (mostly used now as a warehouse), from fermentation, to storage and settling, to bottling.[2]
The brewery was founded in 1892 by James Hanley, an Irish immigrant, and featured state of the art facilities of the period, including the installation of two industrial-scale climate control systems needed to control temperatures for the lagering of beer. It is the only industrial-scale brewery of the period to survive in the state, and is one of only a few surviving designs of Adam Wagner. The brewery was operated only until 1922, when it closed as a consequence of Prohibition. In 1936, the property was adapted for use as a warehouse and storage facility, in which use it continued until 2005.[2]
Lawyer and politician John F. Collins worked at the brewery as a young man just out of college in the 1890s.[3] Ironically, Collins was responsible for prosecuting Prohibition cases during his time as special assistant to the United States Attorney for Rhode Island from 1921–23.[3] Collins also served as Mayor of Providence 1939—1941.[3]
See also
[edit]- National Register of Historic Places listings in Providence, Rhode Island
- List of breweries in Rhode Island
- List of defunct breweries in the United States
References
[edit]- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ a b "NRHP nomination for American Brewing Company Plant" (PDF). Rhode Island Preservation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-02. Retrieved 2016-07-08.
- ^ a b c "Ex-Mayor Collins, 90, Dies, Served in 30s". The Providence Journal. 6 October 1962. pp. 1, 42.
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- Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Rhode Island
- Buildings and structures in Providence, Rhode Island
- National Register of Historic Places in Providence, Rhode Island
- Brewery buildings in the United States
- Beer brewing companies based in Rhode Island
- 1922 disestablishments in Rhode Island
- 1892 establishments in Rhode Island
- American companies established in 1892
- Food and drink companies established in 1892
- American companies disestablished in 1922
- Food and drink companies disestablished in 1922