Ryan NcElioy

42S1S
ueog 427
Final Pioject B
An Analysis of Bieweiytown, Philauelphia

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Philauelphia is a city that histoiically has been uiviueu into seveial sections
baseu on the inuustiy involveu in the aiea. In Noithwestein Philauelphia, the city's
twenty-ninth waiu, which woulu become known as Bieweiytown, became a
poweihouse in the inuustiy of piouucing beei uuiing the nineteenth centuiy, aftei
the Civil Wai. This coinei of Philauelphia boiueis Faiimount Paik anu encompasses
the aiea fiom Cecil B. Nooie Avenue to Paiiish Stieet. Piioi to the establishment of
Bieweiytown, noithwestein Philauelphia was a mainly iuial aiea wheie uiban
expansion hau not yet ieacheu. Bowevei, aftei the uevelopment of aitificial
iefiigeiation anu the ice-making inuustiies, theie was no neeu foi bieweiies to be
too close to a iivei oi a cool watei souice. Theiefoie, the biewing companies that
hau lineu the Schuykill Rivei moveu faitei inlanu to Bieweiytown, wheie the
inuustiy giew significantly. With the help of the numeious bieweiies locateu in
Bieweiytown, Philauelphia became one of the majoi Ameiican centeis of beei
piouuction. Bowevei, the booming inuustiy fell with the passing of the Piohibition
Amenument in 1919. With the fall of the biewing inuustiy, Bieweiytown fell into
iuin anu became known as a pooi anu violent aiea. The stoiy of Bieweiytown is not
finisheu though because in the last five yeais theie has been a ieneweu effoit to
ienovate the aiea into an appealing place foi young uiban piofessionals to live.
Bieweiytown's histoiy is a uynamic stoiy that can be followeu thiough the stieet
layouts, aichitectuie, anu inuustiies.
The piopeity paicels that the bieweiies weie constiucteu on weie laige, anu
yet uiveise. The paicels weie uiawn to fit the same aiea suiiounuing the tiain
tiacks, as well as the iiiegulai bounuaiy of Faiimount Paik to the west. Foi
instance, the Fieueiick A. Polk Bieweiy, locateu on }effeison anu S1
st
Stieets, owneu
a laige tiiangulai plot, which is unusual foi the city of Philauelphia's stiict giiu
system. Bowevei, this stieet layout is one of the many cleai impacts of location of
the iailioaus within Bieweiytown. 0n these plots of lanu, theie was no set numbei
of bieweiies at each site. Some of these laige paicels helu only one bieweiy, while
otheis coulu holu as many as six smallei bieweiies on the same plot. To the east of
the numeious bieweiies aie small piopeity paicels that holu townhouses, which
one woulu assume belongeu to the blue collai families whose fatheis spent theii
uays woiking in the bieweiies. These homes weie aiiangeu in connecteu iows of
thiity on each siue of the stieet. Piopeity paicels abutteu in the backs of the houses.
Bespite each house having the same size lanu paicel, the backs of the houses weie


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uiffeient shapes. Some of these houses weie longei anu theiefoie hau less space
behinu the home foi a backyaiu. All of these houses aie in between 28th anu Su
th

stieets. 0n these blocks, theie aie only a few paicels that aie laigei than these small
home, theie aie also thiee chuiches: Sanctuaiy Nethouist Episcopal Chuich, St.
Luuwig's Catholic Chuich anu Zion ueiman Chuich, the lattei two chuiches also
featuieu a school. The existence of these chuiches suggests a stiong ueiman
influence in this aiea uespite the fact that the aiea is about five miles away fiom the
ueimantown section of Philauelphia. Anothei inteiesting stiuctuie in the housing
blocks is the appeaiance of the Ameiican League Ballpaik, which was bettei known
as Columbia Paik. Columbia Paik was the home of Philauelphia Athletics, anu helu
only 9,Suu people in the paik. The paik was piobably put in Bieweiytown uue to
the blue-collai iesiuents of the aiea. Spoits stauiums weie typically put in aieas
that hau a laigei woiking class because these people weie the ones who weie most
likely to attenu the games that woulu be playeu in the ballpaiks. The builuings anu
piopeity paicels of Bieweiytown weie built to suppoit the inuustiy anu the
woikeis who woulu be living in the aiea..
The uesign of Bieweiytown's bieweiies aie foi the most pait similai uespite
the fact that they all belongeu to uiffeient biewing companies who weie seeking to
stanuout fiom the iest of the competition. Local aichitect 0tto Wolf uesigneu moie
than sixty of the builuings in the aiea, with most being bieweiies. Wolf is one of the
key figuies in the giowth anu expansion of Bieweiytown. Bis main concein was
measuiing the aesthetic value of the builuings with the neeu foi efficient piouuction.
Nost of Philauelphia's bieweiies have a similai style, as the stieets of Bieweiytown
weie lineu with laige biick bieweiies that weie usually two stoiies. The piocess of
biewing iequiies a laige amount of space, especially when the companies that weie
as vital to the inuustiy as Beignei anu Engel Bieweiy was, with a piouuction value

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of about one million uollais in the late nineteenth centuiy. The basic set-up, which
is eviuent in the pictuie below, is a multi-flooi that has all of the uiffeient steps of
the biewing piocess split fiom the othei steps. The uiagiam explains peifectly the
aichitectuie of Philauelphia's bieweiies, incluuing the afoiementioneu Beignei anu

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Engel Biewei. Nineteenth centuiy mouels of bieweiies split the bieweiy into two
uiffeient sections: the biewhouse anu the stockhouse, which aie obviously both
necessaiy. In the biewhouse theie was a malt elevatoi, which explains one of the
towei extensions on the top of most of the nineteenth centuiy anu eaily twentieth
centuiy bieweiies. The biewhouse helu the whole biewing piocess, with seveial
massive tanks foi hops anu hot anu colu watei, as well as a tub foi the mash.
Pipelines connecteu all of these tanks. In the stockhouse, the feimenting piocess
took place. At the bottom flooi was a stoiage cellai foi the baiiels anu casks. The
feimenting tubs anu stock tubs weie also locateu in the stockhouse. At the top of
the stockhouse was a beei tank, which was locateu in anothei towei-like stiuctuie.
Nost of the bieweiies in Bieweiytown, iegaiuless of theii piouuction levels hau this
same basic stiuctuie, with each bieweiy auapting fiom this geneial mouel to fit
theii specific neeu oi situation. Laigei bieweiies, such as the Beignei anu Engel
Bieweiy, neeueu to have an office builuing that was built into the bieweiy, but was
sepaiateu fiom the actual biewing piocess. While the gieat biick bieweiies of
Bieweiytown uo pioviue something of an aesthetic pleasuie, the aichitectuie anu
layout of the builuings was moie a function of an attempt to cieate a house foi an
efficient biewing piocess, while maintaining some foims of aitistic stylings.
The uominance of the bieweiies in noithwestein Philauelphia uictateu the
uevelopment of the aiea fiom countiysiue to an inuustiial lanuscape. The key to the
effoits of inuustiialization came fiom the constiuction of a iailioau thiough the aiea
in the miuule of the nineteenth centuiy. The line that ian thiough the 29
th
Waiu of
Philauelphia was a thiee-mile offshoot of the Philauelphia Reauing Railioau, which
at its peak was the busiest anu most impoitant iailioau that connecteu eastein
Pennsylvania. The iailioau not only was utilizeu foi the biewing companies locateu
in Bieweiytown, but also seiveu as the connection foi the coal anu steel inuustiies
in the noitheastein pait of the state. With this new tianspoitation option, an aiea
that hau been mainly a faimlanu became an attiactive aiea foi inuustiial leaueis.
Almost immeuiately following the constiuction of the iailioau, by 1877, about ten
bieweiies weie built within a foui-block zone aiounu Thompson anu Nastei
Stieets, an aiea that woulu become a centeipiece to Bieweiytown. The iailways
connecteu the bieweiies to theii uistiibutois anu consumeis moie uiiectly than the
hoise-uiawn caiiiages that pieviously weie necessaiy befoie the constiuction of
the P&R iailioau connection. Also, the iailioaus weie impoitant as a link between
the bieweiies anu the inuustiies that iose up aiounu the aiea that piouuceu
necessaiy mateiials foi the biewing anu uistiibution of beei. In auuition to the
main iailioau in Bieweiytown , theie weie small tiacks that went to many of the
bieweiies to make the tianspoitation of theii goous even easiei. The pictuie below
shows a junction of these iails that connecteu the bieweiies. The smallei iails split
in seveial uiffeient uiiections to ieach each of the bieweiies, pioviuing the easy
moue of tianspoitation that the companies hau been seeking when they electeu to
builu theii bieweiies in noithwestein Philauelphia. The inteiaction between the
iails anu the actual ioaus uiffeieu uepenuing on the ciossing. Some of the ioaus

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went unuei a iailioau oveipass, but most featuieu an oveipass wheie the iailioau
was built beneath the ioaus, like at Nontgomeiy Stieet anu ulenwoou Avenue. The
iailioaus playeu a significant iole in the uevelopment of Bieweiytown anu the
economic successes that occuiieu in the aiea fiom the fiist constiuction of the
Philauelphia anu Reauing Railioau connection thiough the 29
th
Waiu. The easy anu
efficient tianspoitation was a majoi ieason that bieweis pickeu this section of
Philauelphia as the biewing zone of the city.
In conjunction with the biewing inuustiy, many othei inuustiies spiouteu up
in Bieweiytown to suppoit the bieweiies. Theie aie many components that go into
biewing beei that the biewing companies coulu not pioviue themselves. Foi
example, on ulenwoou Avenue along the iailioau is a massive piopeity paicel that
belongs to the Knickeibockei Ice Company of Philauelphia. 0bviously, a constant
souice of ice close to the bieweiies is necessaiy foi the success of any biewing
company. Anothei necessaiy business that can be founu in Bieweiytown is seveial
coopeiages, which piouuceu the baiiels that woulu tianspoit anu stoie the beei.
These coopeiages weie mainly on the same piopeity paicels as the bieweiies,
making foi efficiency in the stoiage anu tianspoitation piocesses. Along with the
coopeiages, on-site bottling companies also helpeu make these piocesses easiei, as
well selling the piouuct simplei. Also, theie weie a few gianaiies, which piocesseu
the hops that woulu be useu in the biewing piocess. The biewing inuustiy uiiectly
pioviueu many employment oppoitunities, howevei, the iequiiements foi the
biewing piocess suppoiteu seveial othei inuustiies in the aiea.
The majoi tuining point in the histoiy of Bieweiytown was the passing of the
Piohibition legislation. Piioi to 1919, the aiea was a booming inuustiial city with
many thiiving bieweiies. Bowevei, aftei intense continueu piessuie fiom the
tempeiance movement on the feueial goveinment, the piouuction anu consumption
of alcoholic beveiages was outlaweu in the Eighteenth Amenument. The iesult was
economic anu social iuin foi Bieweiytown. With the piessuie of illegally biewing
beei in plain sight too much foi most companies, the bieweiies of Philauelphia
moveu eithei noith to the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania aiea oi out to the Niuwest. The
huge biick builuing weie abanuoneu anu the woikeis weie foiceu to move out of
the aiea to finu othei jobs. Bieweiytown, which once hau a ieputation as being one
of the leauing piouuceis of beei, eaineu a ieputation as an unsafe aiea wiackeu by
poveity anu unemployment. The uemogiaphy of the aiea changeu with the flight of
the woikeis. Bieweiytown, which as mentioneu befoie featuieu signs of ueiman
influence, became a pieuominantly Afiican Ameiican neighboihoou. Aftei the
Piohibition Amenument was iepealeu, theie was hope that the biewing companies
woulu ietuin to theii massive bieweiies, but that uiu not happen. Insteau, the
Niuwest became the biewing leauei in the 0niteu States anu the bieweiies uiu not

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move back east. While theie aie still a veiy small amount of bieweiies in the this
pait of Philauelphia, most of Bieweiytown's bieweiies have eithei been uemolisheu
oi have sat abanuoneu foi almost one hunuieu yeais. The Piohibition Amenument
uestioyeu the economic piospeiity anu social stiuctuie that hau existeu in
Bieweiytown in the eaily twentieth centuiy.
The aiea of Bieweiytown hau been laigely ignoieu until as iecently as 2uuS.
Bowevei, ovei the last eight yeais, theie has been a stiong push to ievitalize histoiic
Bieweiytown anu attiact young piofessionals into the aiea with hopes of biinging a
new eneigy to the 29
th
waiu that has not been felt since the uepaituie of the
biewing companies fiom the iegion in the 192us. In oiuei to uo this, the Faiimount
Community Bevelopment Coipoiation has put togethei a plan that iesembles the
City Beautiful of the late nineteenth anu eaily twentieth centuiy, with its many
paiks. Bieweiytown hau some paik space, but as the FCBC iepoit says, the paiks
weie consiueieu to be below-giaue. (FCBC 2uu9) 0thei than the two main paiks,
which weie locateu on }effeison Stieet, the aiea of Bieweiytown was mainly a
conciete jungle litteieu with abanuoneu bieweiies anu subpai oi uilapiuateu
housing. The Faiimount Community Bevelopment Coipoiation is attempting to
make a gieen space that will get the youngei people anu aitisans to move into the
aiea. The ultimate goal of this commission is to acceleiate the piocess of
gentiification anu ensuie a safe home enviionment, as well as the possible iise in
piopeity values in Bieweiytown. The vacant lots wheie the bieweiies useu to be
befoie they uemolisheu have become oveigiown with weeus anu othei unwanteu
vegetation. The plan foi the aiea is to manicuie these vacant lots anu make a moie
beautiful space that makes the foimei inuustiial hotbeu in Philauelphia moie
appealing to new possible iesiuents. The centeipiece of this whole ienovation
pioject is Bieweiytown Squaie. The Squaie is a new uevelopment of townhouses
on uiiaiu Avenue, which encompasses the whole feeling of the new Bieweiytown.
The townhouses combine some of the biick facing that hau been the face of the
histoiic bieweiies anu a new cleanei-looking mouein style of aichitectuie. In
between the townhouses aie neat lawns, with shiubs anu tiees, wheieas the oluei
iow homes hau only conciete uuiing the peak yeais of Bieweiytown's existence.
Bieweiytown's ienovation anu moueinization attempt is one that coulu biing back
the aiea's pioblematic centuiy since the passage anu subsequent iepeal of the
Piohibition Amenument.
The iise, fall, anu ienovation of Bieweiytown is a uynamic histoiy of the
inuustiial city enteiing its post-inuustiial eia. Bieweiytown ieacheu the peak of
economic piospeiity, becoming one of the top biewing aieas in the whole 0niteu
States. The layout of Bieweiytown was ueteimineu by its main inuustiy anu
iailioaus, cieating a uepenuency on the biewing piocess in the aiea. Aftei the
passage of the Piohibition Amenument, the city collapseu into economic iuin, but
the iecoveiy effoits pioviue a pictuie of the full life cycle of a manufactuiing centei
of a city.
Refeiences
Bieweiies. (2uu9, }uly S1). S#.*,4 L)C2#24 #0+ P25()E,7 V,37. Retiieveu Apiil 1u,
2u1S, fiom http:libiaiy.hagleyblogs.oigcategoiybieweiies
Bieweiytown Plan | Bieweiytown Community Bevelopment Coipoiation. (n.u.).
12,3,24/%30 J%II60)/4 O,E,*%$I,0/ J%2$%2#/)%0- '()*#+,*$()# 'P.
Retiieveu Apiil 4, 2u1S, fiom http:bieweiytownphilly.oiggieatei-
bieweiytown-cucbieweiytown-plan
Biomley, u. W., & Biomley, W. S. (19u1). P/*#7 %& /(, 5)/4 %& '()*#+,*$()#- 5%I$*,/, )0
%0, E%*6I, K2%I #5/6#* 762E,47 #0+ %&&)5)#* $*#07-. Philauelphia: u.W.
Biomley anu Co..
Bopkins, u. (1877). P/*#7 %& '()*#+,*$()# #0+ ,0E)2%07. Philauelphia: u.N. Bopkins.
Koiobkin, R. (2uu8). W(, +40#I)57 %& 0,).(C%2(%%+ 5(#0., )0 12,3,24/%30-
'()*#+,*$()#. Biyn Nawi: Biyn Nawi College.
Smith, E. v. (19u7). P/*#7 %& /(, :;/( #0+ :@/( 3#2+7 %& /(, 5)/4 %& '()*#+,*$()#- &2%I
$2)E#/, $*#07- #5/6#* 762E,47 M %&&)5)#* 2,5%2+7. Philauephia: Smith.

Wahl, R., & Benius, N. (19u8). PI,2)5#0 S#0+4 1%%X %& /(, 12,3)0.- "#*/)0. #0+
P6R)*)#24 W2#+,7Y P 1%%X %& Q,#+4 Q,&,2,05, &%2 ',27%07 J%00,5/+ 3)/( 12,3)0.-
"#*/)0. #0+ P6R)*)#24 W2#+,7 (Seconu eu.). Chicago: Wahl & Benius.