tehshadowbat
Pyramid Electric building
Now being converted into lofts, taken from the Poth brewery....
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F. A. Poth Brewing Company was founded in 1863 by German immigrant Frederick A. Poth just two years after arriving in Philadelphia. As his operation outgrew his site in Northern Liberties, Poth acquired a defunct brewing operation at 31st and Jefferson Streets in August of 1871 after it's previous owners were forced to shut down after only three years.
As the Philadelphia beer industry grew, the area around Poth's new location was already becoming known as Brewerytown due the many beer producers that settled here in order to take advantage of the Schuylkill River's water and ice.
By the turn of the century, what was now F.A. Poth and Sons was a growing enterprise, with a newly expanded and updated plant to keep up with demand. Facilities were added in Camden and Trenton New Jersey as well. "Poth's special Pilsner Beer” and "Tivoli Export" were the two most popular brands. After Frederick Poth died in 1905, his four sons continued to run the company.
Otto C. Wolf, an architect specializing in industrial plants, oversaw the expansions of the Poth complex between 1883 and 1905. A favorite style of his was the Rundbogenstil or "round arch" - the German version of the Romanesque Revival style that was popular in the late 19th Century.
In the wake or Prohibition, many Philadelphia breweries remained functional producing "near beer" (soft drinks with alcohol below a certain percentage). However "full beer" production continued illegally at many companies, and Poth's was no exception. In December 1922, a Poth employee was detained by federal authorities for transporting alcohol. Further raids along with financial mismanagement drove the company deeper into trouble. Despite making it through the end of Prohibition, F. A. Poth and sons declared bankruptcy in 1936.
Many buildings that made up Poth's Brewerytown plant were demolished by the start of World War II and the site was sold in the 1950's. Civil Defense supplies were stored here during the Cold War in rooms reinforced to withstand a nuclear blast. By this time most of the elegant Rundbogenstil details were stripped off the remaining buildings and several additions further marred the structures.
Alcohol production recommenced at the site in the early 1990's under the Red Bell Brewing Company. However they were not as successful and closed in 2002. Since then the structures have sat derelict and decaying, a popular site for graffiti artists and urban explorers....
History source:
repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1583&...
Pyramid Electric building
Now being converted into lofts, taken from the Poth brewery....
========================
F. A. Poth Brewing Company was founded in 1863 by German immigrant Frederick A. Poth just two years after arriving in Philadelphia. As his operation outgrew his site in Northern Liberties, Poth acquired a defunct brewing operation at 31st and Jefferson Streets in August of 1871 after it's previous owners were forced to shut down after only three years.
As the Philadelphia beer industry grew, the area around Poth's new location was already becoming known as Brewerytown due the many beer producers that settled here in order to take advantage of the Schuylkill River's water and ice.
By the turn of the century, what was now F.A. Poth and Sons was a growing enterprise, with a newly expanded and updated plant to keep up with demand. Facilities were added in Camden and Trenton New Jersey as well. "Poth's special Pilsner Beer” and "Tivoli Export" were the two most popular brands. After Frederick Poth died in 1905, his four sons continued to run the company.
Otto C. Wolf, an architect specializing in industrial plants, oversaw the expansions of the Poth complex between 1883 and 1905. A favorite style of his was the Rundbogenstil or "round arch" - the German version of the Romanesque Revival style that was popular in the late 19th Century.
In the wake or Prohibition, many Philadelphia breweries remained functional producing "near beer" (soft drinks with alcohol below a certain percentage). However "full beer" production continued illegally at many companies, and Poth's was no exception. In December 1922, a Poth employee was detained by federal authorities for transporting alcohol. Further raids along with financial mismanagement drove the company deeper into trouble. Despite making it through the end of Prohibition, F. A. Poth and sons declared bankruptcy in 1936.
Many buildings that made up Poth's Brewerytown plant were demolished by the start of World War II and the site was sold in the 1950's. Civil Defense supplies were stored here during the Cold War in rooms reinforced to withstand a nuclear blast. By this time most of the elegant Rundbogenstil details were stripped off the remaining buildings and several additions further marred the structures.
Alcohol production recommenced at the site in the early 1990's under the Red Bell Brewing Company. However they were not as successful and closed in 2002. Since then the structures have sat derelict and decaying, a popular site for graffiti artists and urban explorers....
History source:
repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1583&...