A landmarked 19th-century former brewhouse in New York’s Brooklyn — one of America's lost beermaking hubs that's today making a comeback — is set to become a mixed-use residential and commercial building. The plans are among the latest for the edgy Bushwick neighborhood, where warehouses have become artist studios in a shift from industrial uses of the past.
Work on the restoration and conversion of the historic William Ulmer Brewery, located at 81 Beaver St., has begun, New York-based architectural firm DXA Studio and developer Rivington Co. said in a statement. Led by DXA, the project is expected to fully redevelop the building to commercial use on the ground floor and three subterranean cellar levels, and to residential use on the second, third, fourth and penthouse floors, DXA and Rivington said.
Designed by German-American architect Theobald Engelhardt and opened in 1872, the William Ulmer Brewery was once the largest piece of a multibuilding complex, which also included an office, engine house and horse stables that later became a storage facility, DXA and Rivington said. The brewery closed during Prohibition, sending parts of the complex into disrepair, while some buildings were repurposed, they said. The brewhouse served as a manufacturing space until the 1940s, while the office building was converted into a townhouse.
DXA and Rivington described the brewhouse as “a quintessential example of pre-Prohibition brewery architecture,” adding that it's “one of the last remaining — and best maintained — structures from an era in which Brooklyn was the brewing capital of the United States." The building became the first brewery in New York to be designated a landmark in 2010.
Brewing borough
Prior to Prohibition, there were at least 24 breweries in Brooklyn, many of which were located in Bushwick and nearby Williamsburg, with Ulmer’s one of the more successful, according to a 2010 report from the Landmarks Preservation Commission.
During the 1850s when many Germans immigrated to New York following political upheavals in central Europe, many settled in the two neighborhoods and made brewing the area's most famous local industry, thanks in part to an "abundant water supply, soil suitable for the construction of underground storage chambers, convenient water and rail transportation, as well as sufficient local demand," the commission wrote.
At its peak, Brooklyn had 11 breweries on a 12-block stretch in Williamsburg, according to a 2009 New York Times report that said "Brooklyn produced a significant share of the nation’s beer." But all the Brooklyn brewing shut down by 1976. Brooklyn Brewery started making beer in the borough again in 1996, and other brands such as Sixpoint and Other Half have followed more recently.
The redevelopment of the Ulmer brewhouse includes a “thorough restoration” of the existing masonry; installation of new, energy-efficient windows that will match the configuration of the historic double-hung windows; and a new, copper-clad rooftop penthouse, which DXA and Rivington said echoes the classic rooftop storage structures of Brooklyn’s most prominent breweries.
“As Bushwick continues to shift from an industrial area to a residential neighborhood, the adaptive reuse of historic buildings like the Ulmer Brewery, which embrace their narratives of transformation and renewal, can model a more thoughtful development approach,” Jordan Rogove, co-founder of DXA Studio, said in the statement.
The 3% apartment vacancy rate in Bushwick is on par with the New York metropolitan average and tight when compared to other U.S. markets with at least 25,000 units, according to a CoStar analysis.
"Demand totals in the Bushwick submarket remain healthy, as Brooklyn's live/work/play dynamic continues to fuel renter demand for most submarkets located in the borough," the report said.
In Williamsburg, a developer recently paid an above-market price per square foot for a vacant site where it plans a mixed-use residential and commercial property similar to the Ulmer project, but one that will be built from the ground up.