From Dave Brigham
Beer, as somebody once said, is neat.
Arye Gross's character on the "Ellen" sitcom may have been the first to utter that praise. He was mocking some wacky young folks who were half in the bag. Anyway, the who, what and where aren't important. Rather, it's the sentiment that counts. Beer is, indeed, neat. Or, as folks living in Boston at the heyday of the city's brewery industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries might have said, beer is the cat's pajamas.
For years, I've wanted to explore Boston's Jamaica Plain and Roxbury neighborhoods, where in the early 20th century there were two dozen beer breweries located near Stony Brook. I recently made that dream a reality. I found nine former brewery sites, and, unfortunately, missed at least one. But I'm ok with that. I just wanted to learn some history, walk around parts of Boston I've never visited and make some photos.
Some of the old breweries have been turned into housing, office, retail and storage space. One even has a brewery in it! As you'll see, some have been sitting vacant for decades and are falling apart and, most likely, are awaiting the wrecking ball.
Let's start at the western end of Heath Street, near the Jamaica Plain VA Medical Center.
The former American Brewing Company complex has been redeveloped into 79 loft-style condominiums. The American Brewery Lofts "feature soaring 14-23 foot ceilings with historic brick walls, exposed modern metal beams, and bamboo floors," according to a listing on the Maloney Properties web site. "Most units come with a private deck or porch."
The brewery was active from 1891 to 1918 and from 1933 to 1934, according to this Jamaica Plain Historical Society web page, which I will use throughout this post.
"The American Brewing Co. was associated with James W. Kenney a native of Ireland who came to the U.S. in 1863," per MACRIS. "Kenney was the founder in the Roxbury/Jamaica Plain area of the Amory Brewery on Amory Street (1877), and the Park Brewery (1882) and Union Brewery (1893-4)-- both located on Terrace Street, off of Heath. In addition, Kenney also was active in the establishment of the American Brewing Co. and initially was a member of its board."
MACRIS continues: "During Prohibition, the brewery was occupied by the American Storage Warehouse Co. and was used on its lower floors for the storage of baled cotton and wool. When the 18th amendment was repealed, the Haffenreffer Brewing Co. purchased the complex and used the plant primarily for storage of stock and bottles. In 1958, the buildings were sold to Fraser and Walker a Brookline-based business needing additional space for their furniture storage and moving operations."
While the American Brewery Loft complex represents the best possible outcome for a former beer-bottling plant, the old John R. Alley Brewery just a short distance east on Heath Street showcases the worst.
(Notice "JRA" carved above the door.)
Alley started his own brewery after leaving Rueter and Alley, a beer maker active from 1867 to 1885, according to the historical society article. I'll discuss that company below. Active from 1886 to 1918, Alley's brewery "was also known as the 'Eblana' brewery because it produced 'Eblana' Irish Ale; Eblana being the Greek word for Dublin," according to the article. "Frederick and George Alley took it over in 1898 when John R. died. It continued operating until Prohibition.
So, Prohibition.
From History.com: "The 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution – which banned the manufacture, transportation and sale of intoxicating liquors – ushered in a period in American history known as Prohibition. Prohibition was ratified by the states on January 16, 1919 and officially went into effect on January 17, 1920, with the passage of the Volstead Act. Despite the new legislation, Prohibition was difficult to enforce. The increase of the illegal production and sale of liquor (known as 'bootlegging'), the proliferation of speakeasies (illegal drinking spots) and the accompanying rise in gang violence and other crimes led to waning support for Prohibition by the end of the 1920s. In early 1933, Congress adopted a resolution proposing a 21st Amendment to the Constitution that would repeal the 18th. The 21st Amendment was ratified on December 5, 1933, ending Prohibition."
And just like that, an entire industry was wiped off the face of the nation. Well, officially anyway. Many of these breweries found new purposes during Prohibition. The Alley brewery was used as...something. The historical society indicates the site became a Canada Dry Ginger Ale bottling plant during and after that odd time in U.S. history.
MACRIS, however, indicates that the soda company didn't acquire the facility until the late 1930s and used it through the following decade. During and immediately after Prohibition, the Massachusetts Historical Commmission resource says, "the Alley brewery buildings were used for wool warehousing and by the Randall-Faichney Co. -- manufacturers of surgical, veterinary, and medical equipment."
"In January 1960, Hampden Automotive Mfg. Co....was granted permission to block-up most of the windows,and the former brewery became used...to function as a manufactury for the repair, construction, and assembling of automobile parts," MACRIS continues. That report dates to 1985; I'm guessing Hampden was the last manufacturing occupant of this building. I suppose squatters and others have used, and continue to use, this site.
There is a second building on the site, which is also in horrible shape.
I don't know whether anything here is salvageable, or if these buildings will be torn down someday.
Continuing east/southeast on Heath Street, just before reaching Columbus Avenue, is #31, former home of Roxbury Brewing Company. I drove past this building and took notice of it, but didn't realize at the time that it was part of Boston's brewing history. "It was active from 1895 to 1899 and was owned by William G. Titcomb of Providence," according to the historical society. "Its short life was due to under-capitalization. Rueter & Company bought it and produced 125,000 barrels a year there."
A short distance away, where Heath Street becomes New Heath Street for about 200 feet, is where we find the refrigeration building of the former Rueter & Alley Highland Spring Brewery.
(Bracing holding up the left side of the building.)
(Lovely detail on the old storage building.)
Active from 1867 to 1885, according to the historical society document, the Highland Spring Brewery "produced Irish style ales and it was the largest ale and porter brewery in the United States in the 1870’s." The company name changed to Rueter & Company after John Alley left to start his aforementioned own brewery on Heath Street. Rueter & Co. operated under that name from 1885 to 1918."
In the large parking lot next to this building, there was a larger brewery building. I'm not sure when that was torn down. According to MACRIS, it connected via underground tunnel to the building below, which is located on Terrace Street, backing up to the Orange Line/commuter rail tracks.
Of course, we know that in 1918, Prohibition became the law of the land. "This plant closed in 1919 and was thereafter used as a warehouse by Oliver Ditson Company, the Boston music-publishing firm," according to the historical society. You can see the name of that company, one of the major music publishing firms in the country, at the top of the building, chiseled into stone for all eternity.
According to MACRIS, the building during the 1920s was also "owned and used by the Highland Chocolate Co."
During the Depression, "Croft Company, making Croft Ale, remaining active from 1934 to 1953, reopened it as a brewery after Prohibition. Mr. Croft had been a brewmaster for Rueter and Alley. One of the buildings stayed active until [the late '90s or early 2000's] as Rosoff Pickle factory until it was bought by Hebrew National Co. and moved to New York," according to the historical society.
At some point, this building was converted to the Oliver Lofts residences.
There were more breweries further north on Terrace Street. "[A]t 94 Terrace Street, the Park Brewery, active from 1881 to 1918, produced only Irish Ales," according to the historical society. "One building, now Frank’s Auto Body Shop, remains on the site. The wood siding on the building covers the original brick." I believe that is the building is now occupied by D&M Auto Body. I did not make a photo of that building, as I didn't realize when I was exploring, that I should have.
Across Terrace Street was the Union Brewery, which was in operation from 1893 to 1911. "It produced only German Lager beer. It had a large six story, arched, main building and two smaller buildings housing a stable and a powerhouse," the historical society indicates. "The two smaller buildings and the mural-decorated smokestack, which now also does duty as a cell phone tower, remain."
The murals are unbelievable. They served as great marketing tools to draw customers in to Mississippi’s Restaurant, which for many years occupied the former stable.
I'm not sure when the eatery went out of business, but I'm guessing this place was amazing while it was open.
Follow Terrace Street north a short way, cross Tremont Street and you'll be on Gurney Street. In a quick minute, you'll be looking at the former A.J. Houghton & Company Vienna brewery at the corner of Station and Halleck streets.
"[A]ctive from 1870 to 1918....[i]t occupies the site of the old Christian Jutz brewery built in 1857," according to the historical society. "The Vienna Brewery had originally been located across the street where it was owned by Messrs. Houghton and Cole of Maine and Vermont. They bought the Christian Jutz property and moved their main operations across the street, converting their original property to a stable to house their several transport horses. Here they produced Vienna Lager from a German recipe. The lighter German and Austrian Lager beers came into favor in the 1850’s and 60’s displacing the heavier English/Irish Ales. Besides Vienna Lager, they made Pavonia Lager Beer, Vienna Old Time Lager and Rockland Ale."
The name "Rockland" will show up again below.
MACRIS indicates that this property's common name is the Great Eastern Packing and Paper Stock Compamy.
This property is now owned by Wentworth Institute of Technology, which operates a parking lot on the majority of the site. The parking lot is where the Burkhardt Brewery once stood, wrapping around the Vienna beer-making operation. Active from 1850 to 1918, Burkhardt was where a certain Rudolph Haffenreffer began his career, eventually rising to brewmaster. We'll learn more below about the man whose progeny created the infamous "Green Death" malt liquor in later years.
Gottlieb "George" Burkhardt and his son, Gottlieb Jr., ran the brewery until Gottlieb Senior died in 1884, according to the historical society. That operation continued until -- wait for it -- Prohibition. "It stayed open, however, until 1929 producing cereal and other grain products during the dry period," according to the historical society. Wentworth planned at one point to put a hockey rink on this site, until it was made a Boston Landmark. I'm not clear at what point that designation was ignored, and the building was torn down.
Below are some more shots of the Vienna brewery.
After checking out the Vienna site, I headed to Washington Street to admire the wonderful old Franklin Brewery building.
Built in 1894, this Queen Anne fortress was a brewery until -- you guessed it -- 1918. Iin 1900, "the Franklin Brewery became a branch of the Massachusetts Brewery Co., a consortium which included the American Brewery at 249 Heath Street, the Alley Brewery at 123 Heath Street, H. and J. Pfaff Co. at 1276 Columbus, and the Robinson Brewery at 55-71 Amory," per MACRIS. The brewery was named for nearby Franklin Park. "Its beautiful façade was hidden from view by the elevated railway from 1912 until 1988," according to the historical society article.
"Around 1918, the Franklin Brewery building was vacant and a year later was owned by the Union Wool Co. and used for storage. By the 1920's, 3179 Washington had become the home of the D.W.. Dunn Storage Company.
Today, this beauty is home to Extra Space Storage.
(The rear of Franklin Brewery.)
One-third of a mile west of the old Franklin place is the old Haffenreffer Brewery on Bismark and Germania streets.
(The smokestack was refurbished in late 2016. See my December 9, 2017, article: "Artist Thinks: I HAF to Fix That Smokestack").
The Haffenreffer brewery "was active from 1870 to 1964 and reigned as queen of the Jamaica Plain fleet of breweries," according to the historical society. "Rudolph Haffenreffer had been brewmaster at Burkhardt’s brewery and had married Burkhardt’s niece. He then left Burkhardt’s and started his own brewery which was to become the last operating brewery in Boston."
"It was a 14-building complex with a tower building, main brewery, storage building, paymaster’s office, stables, and an extensive bottling plant, etc.," the historical society continues. "...Underground steam pipes connected many of the buildings, including Haffenreffers’s house next door at 21 Germania Street....After closing in 1964 it was a storage warehouse including garages and artists’ accommodations as well."
I drank Haffenreffer a few times during my high school and college years. I enjoyed the rebuses inside the bottle caps more than the malt liquor itself.
For years, the old brewery complex has been owned by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation. Fifty percent of the small businesses located on site are owned by women and people of color, according to the organization. More than 500 people are employed here.
Among the tenants are: Bikes Not Bombs, which refurbishes and sells used bicycles; the Children's Music Center of J.P.; Fresh City Kitchen; silkscreen printer Migrant Winds; and Boston Beer, brewer of Samuel Adams, which brings the orignal use of this complex full circle.
(There is some cool artwork on the outside walls of the complex.)
I am saving my favorite old brewery for last. While researching this post and another one in which I covered other cool stuff in this area (see May 21, 2022, "Circling Boston's Geographical Center"), I found myself cruising down Amory Street on Google Street View. And I swear, people, I thought I saw a mirage. And I hoped and prayed that by the time I got to this location, the building I was ogling would still look the way it did on my computer, for I knew that there was redevelopment afoot.
Well, I needn't have worried.
Something about the faded and white-washed red brick, combined with the boarded-up windows and the ghost signs -- one easy to read, the other indecipherable to me -- gives me the feeling I'm on a movie set. For such an iconic building, there isn't a very lengthy brewery history here. This site was only active from 1884 to 1902, according to the historical society, apparently as the Robinson Brewery and the Rockland Brewery.
After that short tenure, the buildings were in use as a plant for the Trimount Manufacturing Company, which made plumber's tools. In more recent years, it was home to a futon factory and artist lofts, per MACRIS. I believe at this point there are apartments, offices and small-business space in part of this complex.
(I'm not sure whether this sign advertises a bike shop, or is just a random sculpture.)
(This building has recently been redeveloped. An image on Google Maps shows a ghost sign, perhaps for Trimount, on the side.)
(For the life of me, I can't read these signs.)
Of course, I had to check out the backside of this backside treasure.
If I had to guess, I'd say this section of the complex is being used for storage. Of a LOT of stuff.
So, I hope you had your fill and drank in all of these great old breweries. Of course, we are living in a new age of beer brewing in Boston. In addition to Boston Beer Comapny, brewers in the area include: Harpoon, Trillium, Night Shift, Dorchester Brewing, Turtle Swamp and Jack's Abby.
For more about this area of Boston, see October 16, 2019, "A Mission to Find the Mission of Mission Hill."
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