Neuweiler Brewery- Back From The Dead?

Reposted From January 6, 2013



Neuweiler Beer "Nix Besser!"

It was announced nearly a week ago that a Manhattan based brewing company plans to bring Allentown's Neuweiler brewery back to life. I'm truly hopeful this will happen. They certainly will have their work cut out for them.

Looking over the property, functional restoration appears to be a monumental task. I'm not saying this former brewery can't be brought back to life. What I am saying doing so won't be cheap nor an easy task.



The property is located in Allentown's NIZ zone in an area now called "Brewer's Hill" by the Allentown Economic Development Corporation (AEDC). I'm not sure where the 'hill' part came from, but hey, whatever.

Thanks to a fellow blogger Andrew Kleiner we can view about 20 pictures both inside and out of this site. He took them back in June of 2009.

There are also another 28 pictures which can been seen here at deviantart.com.

The AEDC wrote a 26 page report in March 2011 that described the existing conditions at that time. Among some of those conditions it was noted that the electrical and mechanical systems had been removed from the buildings.

Then in July 2012 the AEDC wrote up a 19 page "Site Reuse Study". The study included a 'Physical Facilities' and 'Financial Feasibility' analysis broken down into 11 areas of the Neuweiler site. There are 5 different development scenarios where costs were estimated to be between $27.915 million and $52.480 million. The NIZ financing monies varied between $3.440 and $23.435 million.

According to the article in the Express-Times the Manhattan brewer, "has lined up most of the roughly $25 million it needs to buy the brewery from the city and redevelop it." The $25 million the developer is said to financing would square up with any of the scenarios except 'Alternative #3'.

But then the article goes on to say "No homes are planned". Here's where I get confused. All 5 scenarios include "apartments". Has this been scrubbed from the project or is this a matter semantics in the use of the word 'homes'?



A BRIEF TIMELINEThe brewery known as Neuweiler today first grew it's roots in 1878 under the name Germania Brewery. It was originally located on South 7th Street. It got that name because it was located to the rear of the Germania Hotel. It was started by Benedict Nuding. Not too long after that Lewis F. Neuweiler got involved. and the name was changed to Nuding-Neuweiler Brewing Company.

It remained there until 1911 when the property at Front and Gordon Streets was bought. On April 28, 1913 beer was first brewed at what is now the present day Neuweiler location. Then some 21 years later, in 1934, the bottling house was added. The brewery at that location was active nearly 55 years until declaring bankruptcy in 1967. Production ceased the following year on May 31, 1968.

In 1980 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.