Lion Brewery New York
Encyclopedia
Lion Brewing was a brewery
operating in New York City
from 1850 to 1944.
Shortly after immigrating to the USA, Swiss-German August Schmid and Emanuel Bernheimer founded the Costanz Brewery at East 4th Street near Avenue B in 1850. The brewery produced a lager
ed beer, a favorite among German immigrants. By 1852, they built a second Costanz Brewery at Four Corners in Staten Island
, home to a large German community. Five years later, Bernheimer became the partner of another German immigrant, James Speyers and founded the Lion Brewery in 1857 in Manhattan Valley.
A group of Catholic Bavaria
n Germans helped build the Lion Brewery. When it was built, they held their Masses
in the Brewery on Sunday mornings. Then these industrious Germans built Ascension Church and Rectory located on 107th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway. Following that they built the school and convent on 108th street connecting to the rear of the church. When they succeeded in bringing the De LaSalle Brothers to teach in the School, the area had become fairly well built up, so they bought a house on 106th Street between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive for the Brothers to use as a residence. Around the same time they purchased an old Methodist Church on 108th Street between Manhattan Avenue and Central Park West. The Church building was converted into a Parish Hall and given to Ascension.
There was a swimming pool in the center on the first floor. A fully equipped boxing room with ring and pulley weights was found on the right side of the first floor and on the left a pool and snooker tables and tables for playing ping pong and cards. On the second floor was a basketball
court with a stage at one end. There was a balcony over the second floor with limited folding bleachers and an Olympic sized wooden running track which circled the balcony.
During the tenure of Bishop Joseph P. Donahue as pastor of Ascension Parish, the Parish Hall was sold to the New York City Police Athletic League. A large portion of the money received from the sale is said to have been donated to Manhattan College in upper Manhattan which is operated by the Christian Brothers
. A portrait of Bishop Donohue was hung in the Administration Building hallway at Manhattan College in appreciation of his donation to the College.
At its peak, the Lion Brewery occupied about six city square blocks, from Central Park West to Amsterdam Avenue and from 107th to 109th Street. At the time Manhattan's Upper West Side was an open area with inexpensive land housing, many public institutions and an insane asylum. There were about five to ten thousand living in shanty's after being displaced by the creation of Central Park in 1859. Consequently, with the brewery and surrounding areas, the Upper West Side failed to increase its real
estate value until the early twentieth century.
In 1862, a $1.00 tax on each barrel of beer hurt small brewers but not Lions. The anti-saloon movement in the late 19th and early 20th century encouraged Lion to clean up its own saloons. Lion brewing got caught up in a wave of mergers and closings among some of the smaller New York Brewers in the early 1940s which continued until 1941, when the business closed. The brewery (including the canning facilities) was auctioned off on August 26, 1943. The plant was demolished in 1944 and more than 3,000 tons of steel were taken from the original brewery structure and recycled for the war effort.
After the Brewery was knocked down the lot was paved over with cinders. On Sundays, after the war, the returning WWII Veterans for a Softball League and played almost every Sunday afternoon. Home plate was located near 107th street and Columbus Avenue.
Today, apartment houses occupy the Lion brewery's former location.
In about 1860 or so the brewery published a pamphlet titled "Observations on Brewing and Beer: With an Analysis and Scientific Testimony Relative to the Lager Beer of the Speyers' Lion Brewery." The pamphlet had a short history of the different kinds of beer, and an analysis showing that their lager beer was pure. The pamphlet also included some great line drawings of the brewery complex.
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
operating in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
from 1850 to 1944.
Shortly after immigrating to the USA, Swiss-German August Schmid and Emanuel Bernheimer founded the Costanz Brewery at East 4th Street near Avenue B in 1850. The brewery produced a lager
Lager
Lager is a type of beer made from malted barley that is brewed and stored at low temperatures. There are many types of lager; pale lager is the most widely-consumed and commercially available style of beer in the world; Pilsner, Bock, Dortmunder Export and Märzen are all styles of lager...
ed beer, a favorite among German immigrants. By 1852, they built a second Costanz Brewery at Four Corners in Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
, home to a large German community. Five years later, Bernheimer became the partner of another German immigrant, James Speyers and founded the Lion Brewery in 1857 in Manhattan Valley.
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n Germans helped build the Lion Brewery. When it was built, they held their Masses
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
in the Brewery on Sunday mornings. Then these industrious Germans built Ascension Church and Rectory located on 107th Street between Amsterdam and Broadway. Following that they built the school and convent on 108th street connecting to the rear of the church. When they succeeded in bringing the De LaSalle Brothers to teach in the School, the area had become fairly well built up, so they bought a house on 106th Street between West End Avenue and Riverside Drive for the Brothers to use as a residence. Around the same time they purchased an old Methodist Church on 108th Street between Manhattan Avenue and Central Park West. The Church building was converted into a Parish Hall and given to Ascension.
There was a swimming pool in the center on the first floor. A fully equipped boxing room with ring and pulley weights was found on the right side of the first floor and on the left a pool and snooker tables and tables for playing ping pong and cards. On the second floor was a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
court with a stage at one end. There was a balcony over the second floor with limited folding bleachers and an Olympic sized wooden running track which circled the balcony.
During the tenure of Bishop Joseph P. Donahue as pastor of Ascension Parish, the Parish Hall was sold to the New York City Police Athletic League. A large portion of the money received from the sale is said to have been donated to Manhattan College in upper Manhattan which is operated by the Christian Brothers
Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools
The Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools is a Roman Catholic religious teaching congregation, founded in France by Saint Jean-Baptiste de la Salle and now based in Rome...
. A portrait of Bishop Donohue was hung in the Administration Building hallway at Manhattan College in appreciation of his donation to the College.
At its peak, the Lion Brewery occupied about six city square blocks, from Central Park West to Amsterdam Avenue and from 107th to 109th Street. At the time Manhattan's Upper West Side was an open area with inexpensive land housing, many public institutions and an insane asylum. There were about five to ten thousand living in shanty's after being displaced by the creation of Central Park in 1859. Consequently, with the brewery and surrounding areas, the Upper West Side failed to increase its real
estate value until the early twentieth century.
In 1862, a $1.00 tax on each barrel of beer hurt small brewers but not Lions. The anti-saloon movement in the late 19th and early 20th century encouraged Lion to clean up its own saloons. Lion brewing got caught up in a wave of mergers and closings among some of the smaller New York Brewers in the early 1940s which continued until 1941, when the business closed. The brewery (including the canning facilities) was auctioned off on August 26, 1943. The plant was demolished in 1944 and more than 3,000 tons of steel were taken from the original brewery structure and recycled for the war effort.
After the Brewery was knocked down the lot was paved over with cinders. On Sundays, after the war, the returning WWII Veterans for a Softball League and played almost every Sunday afternoon. Home plate was located near 107th street and Columbus Avenue.
Today, apartment houses occupy the Lion brewery's former location.
In about 1860 or so the brewery published a pamphlet titled "Observations on Brewing and Beer: With an Analysis and Scientific Testimony Relative to the Lager Beer of the Speyers' Lion Brewery." The pamphlet had a short history of the different kinds of beer, and an analysis showing that their lager beer was pure. The pamphlet also included some great line drawings of the brewery complex.