William Ulmer Brewery

William Ulmer Brewery was a German-American brewing enterprise and brewery complex in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York City. Established in 1871 by Württemberg-born immigrant William Ulmer and Bavarian immigrant Anton Vigelius, it formed part of the dense German brewing district that developed in northern Brooklyn during the late nineteenth century. The business initially operated as the Vigelius & Ulmer Continental Lagerbier Brewery before Vigelius withdrew and Ulmer became its sole proprietor. It was subsequently reorganized under the William Ulmer Brewery name. The brewery grew during a period when Brooklyn’s population, German immigration, and demand for lager beer were expanding rapidly. The availability of groundwater in northern Brooklyn helped support brewing, while Bushwick developed a concentrated industrial and residential community of German brewers and brewery workers. At its height, the Ulmer operation was among Brooklyn’s larger breweries and reportedly produced approximately 3.2 million U.S. gallons of beer annually. The business also had connections to related commercial and recreational properties, including Ulmer Park in Gravesend, Dexter Park in Queens, and a beer pavilion in Forest Park. Ulmer additionally operated an ice-manufacturing facility in Greenport, New York, supporting the logistical requirements of brewing and cold storage. The brewery complex was built and enlarged over several decades. The principal brew house dates to approximately 1872, with an annex added in 1881. An office, machine and boiler structures, and other production-related spaces followed in the 1880s. A substantial stable and storage building was erected in 1890. Most of the complex was designed in the American round-arch style, also known as Rundbogenstil, a nineteenth-century architectural language associated with German Renaissance Revival influences. The buildings combined decorative brickwork, regularly spaced arched windows, heavy masonry, industrial floor systems, and specialized basement and storage spaces. William Ulmer retired from the business in 1900, after which the company was reincorporated with his son-in-law John W. Weber as president. Family members, including Ulmer’s wife Catherine and son-in-law John F. Becker, served as directors. Brewing improvements continued into the early twentieth century, including the installation of a large brew vessel in 1906. Nevertheless, the company faced the broader competitive pressures affecting established regional breweries as larger firms adopted more extensive machinery and production systems. The brewery ceased producing alcoholic beverages in 1920 following the enactment of national Prohibition. Its buildings were sold or repurposed for light manufacturing and other uses, while the Ulmer family retained ownership of the office building until 1952. Over subsequent decades, the brew house and stable-storage building changed hands repeatedly. The former brewery buildings were used for manufacturing, storage, residential purposes, and other commercial activities rather than returning to brewing. The complex’s architectural and historical importance eventually led to formal preservation. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the site a city landmark on May 11, 2010, making it the first brewery in New York City to receive that designation. In February 2024, the complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The surviving buildings, including the brew house, engine-machine house, office, and stable-storage house, now function primarily as historic structures and adaptable urban real estate rather than as an operating beer producer.

The William Ulmer Brewery emerged from the growth of German brewing in nineteenth-century Brooklyn. Brewing had long been practiced in New York, but Brooklyn’s northern neighborhoods experienced especially rapid industrial development after the discovery and exploitation of freshwater resources beneath areas including Williamsburg and Bushwick. At the same time, German immigration created a substantial customer base and labor pool for lager production. By the 1870s and 1880s, Bushwick contained numerous breweries, including a concentrated group often described as a brewer’s row. William Ulmer, born in 1833 in the German territory of Württemberg, became one of the district’s prominent brewers. He was related by marriage and family connection to established American brewers John F. Betz and Henry Clausen Sr., who had links to the brewing tradition associated with D. G. Yuengling Sr. In 1871, Ulmer joined Anton Vigelius in founding the Vigelius & Ulmer Continental Lagerbier Brewery at Belvidere and Beaver streets. Vigelius had acquired the land from the Debevoise family and transferred his interest in the property to Ulmer around the time construction began. Construction was underway by 1871, and an accident at the site killed one worker and injured two others. The first brewery structures were completed around 1871 or 1872. The business was already regarded as substantial by the middle of the decade. Vigelius later withdrew from the partnership, leaving Ulmer as sole proprietor, and the enterprise adopted the William Ulmer Brewery name. In 1881, a labor dispute occurred when some employees struck over wages. Expansion was continuous. Ulmer acquired additional land at Locust and Beaver streets in 1880, after which a storage facility was constructed. Theobald Engelhardt designed major additions in 1885, including the office and machinery-related buildings, as well as production and keg-filling spaces. Contemporary reporting placed the cost of that expansion at $15,000. In 1890, architect Frederick Wunder designed a larger brick stable and storage building to replace an earlier wooden structure. Later plans called for additional structural improvements, including the replacement of parts of the storage building’s framing with cast-iron columns. The brewery’s success enabled Ulmer to acquire real estate and operate or control several properties linked to entertainment and leisure, including Ulmer Park, Dexter Park, and a beer pavilion. There is no firm evidence that he operated formal beer gardens at these locations specifically as outlets for his beer. In 1898, he also established an ice plant in Greenport, New York, which was reported in the early twentieth century to have significant year-round artificial-ice capacity. Ulmer retired in 1900. The company was then reincorporated under the leadership of his son-in-law John W. Weber, who became president. Catherine Ulmer and another son-in-law, John F. Becker, were also directors. The enterprise continued to modernize, including the installation of a large brewing vessel in 1906. When William Ulmer died in 1907, the brewery was considered one of Brooklyn’s larger producers and had reached an estimated peak annual output of about 3.2 million gallons of beer. The business eventually succumbed to both regulatory and competitive pressures. Larger breweries were adopting more complex machinery, and national Prohibition made alcoholic-beverage production illegal in 1920. The Ulmer Brewery consequently stopped operating as a brewery. The buildings entered a long period of adaptive reuse: different sections became manufacturing plants, storage premises, residences, and other commercial spaces. The stable-storage building was sold in 1921 and later used by the Artcraft Metal Stamping Company. The brew house changed ownership several times after being sold in 1922, while the Ulmer family retained the office building until 1952. The structures deteriorated and were altered during the twentieth century, but their industrial character survived. In 1985, sculptor and marble worker Jay Swift purchased and renovated the office building. The stable-storage building was converted into apartments in 2002. The city landmark designation in 2010 recognized the complex’s architectural importance, particularly its German-influenced round-arch design and its connection to Brooklyn’s brewing history. Later redevelopment proposals sought to reuse the buildings while preserving their protected character. The complex was nominated for state and federal historic-register listing in 2023 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 20, 2024.

1. 2024National Register listing

   The brewery complex was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

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2. 2010New York City landmark designation

   The complex became the first brewery in New York City designated as an official city landmark.

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3. 1920Brewing operations end

   National Prohibition forced the brewery to stop producing alcoholic beverages.

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4. 1906Large brewing vessel installed

   A 236-barrel brewing container was installed as part of continued modernization.

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5. 1900Ulmer retires and company is reincorporated

   William Ulmer retired, and his son-in-law John W. Weber became president of the reincorporated company.

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6. 1890Stable and storage building constructed

   Frederick Wunder designed a three-story brick stable-storage structure to replace an earlier wooden building.

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7. 1885Major architectural expansion

   Theobald Engelhardt designed an office and machinery-related expansion, along with additional brewing support areas.

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8. 1880Additional land acquired

   Ulmer obtained property at Locust and Beaver streets to support expansion and storage.

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9. 1872Original brewery structures completed

   The main brewery and an associated residence were completed around this period, forming the core of the later complex.

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10. 1871Vigelius and Ulmer establish the brewery

    Anton Vigelius and William Ulmer founded the Vigelius & Ulmer Continental Lagerbier Brewery in Bushwick, Brooklyn.

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A large German-American lager brewery serving the expanding Brooklyn market during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; today, the name is principally associated with industrial heritage and historic preservation.

• Continental lagerbierLager beer1871

  The brewery’s principal product was German-influenced lager beer, produced for the Brooklyn market during the period when lager became a defining commercial beer style in New York. The available historical material identifies the brewery with Continental lagerbier but does not establish a complete catalog of named labels, recipes, or package formats.

• Brewing and cold-storage operationsIndustrial brewing infrastructure1872

  The complex supported malting, mashing, boiling, fermentation, cooling, storage, keg filling, and related handling functions. Its specialized basements and later storage buildings were integral to the production and preservation of beer, although they were not consumer products in their own right.

• 2024National Register recognitionOther

  A nomination process for state and federal historic-register recognition began in 2023.

  What changed. The brewery complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

  Aftermath. The listing reinforced the complex’s status as a preserved historic resource rather than an operating brewery.

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• 2010Historic landmark protectionOther

  The surviving buildings retained architectural and historical significance despite decades of adaptive reuse.

  What changed. New York City designated the complex as a municipal landmark.

  Aftermath. The designation formalized preservation oversight and recognized the site as an important part of Brooklyn’s brewing and industrial history.

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• 1920Closure following ProhibitionOther

  The Eighteenth Amendment and related federal enforcement measures prohibited the commercial production of alcoholic beverages.

  What changed. The brewery stopped producing beer and ceased active brewing operations.

  Aftermath. The buildings were sold or adapted for manufacturing, storage, residential, and other uses.

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• 1900Family-led reincorporation after Ulmer’s retirementStrategy

  William Ulmer retired after building the brewery into a substantial Brooklyn producer.

  What changed. The company was reincorporated with son-in-law John W. Weber as president and other family members as directors.

  Aftermath. The brewery continued operating and investing in production infrastructure during the early twentieth century.

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• 2024William Ulmer Brewery added to the National Register of Historic Places

  The surviving brewery complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places after a nomination process that began in late 2023.

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• 2020Renovation financing and residential-use plans advance

  G4 Capital Partners provided renovation financing, while the owner sought approval to convert portions of the former office building to residential use while retaining commercial space on lower floors.

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• 2018Rivington Company acquires adjoining brewery buildings

  Travis Stabler’s Rivington Company acquired three buildings associated with the historic complex and explored redevelopment plans, including a penthouse addition.

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• 2010William Ulmer Brewery designated a New York City landmark

  The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Bushwick brewery complex as an official city landmark, the first brewery in New York City to receive that status.

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1. William Ulmer Brewery