Schoenhofen Brewery Historic District - Chicago, IL
Posted by: 
adgorn
N 41° 51.459 W 087° 38.393
16T E 446888 N 4634169
Remnants of the pre-Prohibition era Schoenhofen Brewery, first erected at 18th and Canalport in 1862, are still impressive.
Waymark Code: WMQXT5
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 04/11/2016
Views: 4
From the City of Chicago site: "Built for a prominent German-American brewer, these two remaining buildings illustrate the dramatic shift in architectural taste that occurred at the turn of the century. The brewery's administration building, constructed in 1886, is a good illustration of the ornate designs of the late-Victorian era. The powerhouse, which was constructed in 1902 in a Prairie School-style, is less picturesque, relying instead on the bold organization of its facades and ornamental brickwork for its visual impact."
From the Encyclopedia of Chicago (
visit link) "Peter Schoenhofen, a Prussian immigrant, was in Chicago working in the brewing trade by the 1850s. In 1861, he started a partnership with Matheus Gottfried; they were soon operating a brewery at Canalport Avenue and 18th Street where, during the early 1860s, they made about 600 barrels of lager beer a year. In 1867, Schoenhofen bought out his partner, and the company became the Peter Schoenhofen Brewing Co. By 1868, annual output had increased to about 10,000 barrels. During the 1890s, when the business was owned by the City Contract Co. of London, England, annual output reached 180,000 barrels. Around 1900, the Schoenhofen family regained control of the company, which employed about 500 people at its brewery on West 12th Street by 1910. During this time, the company was also known as the National Brewing Co. The company's “Edelweiss” brand of beer was a big seller. Operations shut down during Prohibition, but by 1933, after the national ban on alcohol production was lifted, the company was back in business as the Schoenhofen-Edelweiss Co. After being purchased by the Atlas Brewing Co. in the late 1940s, Schoenhofen became part of Dewery's Ltd. of South Bend, Indiana, in 1951, and thereafter assumed the Dewery's name. By the beginning of the 1970s, there was nothing left of its Chicago operations, although Dewery's reintroduced the famous Edelweiss brand in 1972 after nearly a decade-long hiatus."
Photos are of the Powerhouse and Administration buildings on 18th at S. Normal Avenue. Notice the photo of the star on the building, not of David but signifying brewing purity.
Take a look straight north and imagine yourself looking at the St. Helen of the Blessed Shroud Orphanage from the Blues Brothers movie, filmed at this site!