Brewery District

History

The area's suitability for breweries came from the confluence of the Scioto River, the Columbus Feeder canal, and a spring-fed ravine. Louis Hoster, Jacob Silbernagel, and George M. Herancourt opened the first brewery in 1836; Hoster soon bought out his partners and expanded production. Other businessmen followed, and at its peak the district hosted Schlegel Bavarian Brewery/Schlee Brewery (1849–Prohibition), Born's Capitol Brewery (1859–Prohibition), and Gambrinus Brewing Company (1905–1974). Homes for brewery and industry workers were built nearby, featuring German-style 1 1/2-story brick houses and Italianate architecture. Many of these homes remain, with preserved carved stone lintels, round windows, and hood moldings. The Brewery District Commission, created by ordinance in 1993, has seven appointees tasked with preserving the area's architectural and historical features.

Geography

The Brewery District is mostly flat, except for a 30-foot drop in elevation further south. The Whittier Street Peninsula lies within a 100-year floodplain, but no development restrictions exist because of it. The district has four sub-areas. The Northern Tier, bounded by I-70, Pearl Street, Sycamore, and Short Street, is close to the Scioto River and contains much of the earliest development, with historic industrial brick buildings and minimal setbacks.

Some industry remains, but large-scale redevelopment has occurred; the Schlee Brewery was adapted for mixed-use residential and commercial spaces, and in July 2019 a $70 million redevelopment of the L. Hoster Brewing Company site was announced, including a hotel and restaurant. The Southern Tier, south of Frankfort to Greenlawn Avenue between Pearl Street and Conrail tracks, is primarily residential with two- or three-story brick buildings and front yards, though some character has been lost to demolition and reconstruction.

The Transitional Tier, bordered by Sycamore, Pearl Street, Frankfort, and Conrail tracks, has large blocks of land purchased for development.

Entertainment

From the late 1990s to early 2000s, the Brewery District became a popular weekend destination for young professionals, with many drinking and dancing venues. This period ended after bars opened on Park Street near the new Arena District. Remaining businesses, such as CBC Restaurant, aimed to become destination restaurants. After 2011, a comeback began when the Worly Building was renovated into a theater and bar complex for Shadowbox Live and World of Beer. Between 2010 and 2016, the district gained a nightclub, winery, live music venue, and several dining places. Those involved in redevelopment believed the prosperity would last longer because the focus shifted from nightlife to a historical, mature, residential feel.

Structures and landmarks

Scioto Audubon Metro Park is a 120-acre park with wetlands, a dog park, a rock climbing wall, and the Grange Insurance Audubon Center, a stop for migrating birds, backing onto the Scioto River. The Born Brewery building, constructed in 1895, is the only remaining structure of Born Brewery and was originally its bottling plant; it later served as a Salvation Army Thrift store, was sold in 2007 for $2.3 million, renovated into 47 apartments, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.

A statue known as the 'Drunken King' depicts King Gambrinus, who legend says invented beer to woo his boss's daughter. It once stood over the August Wagner Brewery; after the brewery was demolished, the Columbus Dispatch saved and restored the statue, placing it in a pocket park at Front and Sycamore, then in 2000 moved to a new park at the district's front. An architecturally ornate structure on South Front Street, built as a horse stable for the Hoster Brewery, housed WWCD (CD101/CD102.5) from 1996 to 2011 and was renovated in 2011 for World of Beer, Shadowbox Live, and Backstage Bistro.

The South Wind Motel, a mid-century motel on High Street operating continuously since 1959, was extensively renovated into a boutique motel in 2021–22.