| Other Names |
Northern Brewery Historic District-Local
|
| Property Type |
brewery
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| Historic Use |
AGRICULTURE AND SUBSISTENCE
|
| Current Use |
COMMERCE/TRADE/business
|
| Style |
Romanesque
|
| Significant Person |
Cook, Thomas
Baker, Charles
|
| Narrative Description |
The Northern Brewery is a rectangular, two-story, brick walled, Richardsonian Romanesque industrial block with a two-story rear wing and several subsidiary single-story extensions. The triple-bay facade is divided by full-height pilasters and features large rounded and segmental arches. The crenellated cornice under the flat roof is broken in the central bay by a high round arch ornamented with a brick basket weave pattern tympanum. Subterranean vaults used for beer-lagering located over a pure water spring support the structure. A sixty-foot high smokestack remains as a reminder of the building's former use.
|
| Statement of Significance |
The Northern Brewery is one of the oldest industrial buildings in the Ann Arbor area and is significant for its style as well as its history. The current building, constructed in 1886 stands on the site of an older brewery completed in 1872. Pioneering minority business owners Thomas Cook and Charles Baker built the brewery and operated the business until 1908. The building housed a foundry in 1922 and was converted into office space in the 1970s. Restored, the Northern Brewery is well maintained and retains its historical character.
|
| Period of Significance |
1866-1900
|
| Significant Date(s) |
1886, 1922
|
| Registry Type(s) |
11/20/1979 National Register listed
11/07/1977 State Register listed
|
| Site ID# |
P3773
|
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