Northern Brewery - Ann Arbor, Michigan
Posted by: 
GT.US
N 42° 17.557 W 083° 44.063
17T E 274577 N 4685887
The Northern Brewery building is currently used for office space.
Waymark Code: WM8BZ8
Location: Michigan, United States
Date Posted: 03/09/2010
Views: 2
The State of Michigan Historical Presrvation website at (
visit link) tells us:
"The Northern Brewery is a rectangular, two-story, brick walled, Richardsonian Romanesque industrial block with a two-story rear wing and several subsidiary single-story extensions. The triple-bay facade is divided by full-height pilasters and features large rounded and segmental arches. The crenellated cornice under the flat roof is broken in the central bay by a high round arch ornamented with a brick basket weave pattern tympanum. Subterranean vaults used for beer-lagering located over a pure water spring support the structure. A sixty-foot high smokestack remains as a reminder of the building's former use.
The Northern Brewery is one of the oldest industrial buildings in the Ann Arbor area and is significant for its style as well as its history. The current building, constructed in 1886 stands on the site of an older brewery completed in 1872. Pioneering minority business owners Thomas Cook and Charles Baker built the brewery and operated the business until 1908. The building housed a foundry in 1922 and was converted into office space in the 1970s. Restored, the Northern Brewery is well maintained and retains its historical character. "