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HISTORICAL CONTEXT CONTINUED After Prohibition the company began to again brew beer and was soon producing 50,000 barrels a year. The primary sales area for their products was in northern Indiana and southern Michigan. The firm late built new offices at College and Lincolnway West and the old offices were converted to manufacturing space. By 1950 business was stagnating, producing half of their past volume. Brewery officials blamed a federal excise tax of $8.00 per barrel for the decline, for it was a severe burden for a small brewery. The brewery closed November 11, 1950. The firm's ice department, Polar Ice and Fuel, remained in business for a few more years. The building was used in the 1950's by White Way Glass Company, operated by Russell E. Frushour. By 1960 it was being used by the I.W. Lower company who specialized in paints. From 1970 to 1985 it housed McDaniels' Harley-Davidson Company. In 1985 it was also being used by Acme Design Service Incorporated. Kenneth Inwood purchased the building in 1990 and sold it to the current owner, Ethel Anderson, in 1995. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION This is a four to five story Gothic Revival style industrial building with a single story rear addition for loading and mechanics. It has a flat, multi -leveled roof with castellated parapets and two five story square towers at either end of the front facade. The walls are brick painted with ads on the front and sides of the buildings and toped with corbelled cornice banding beneath the battlements. The front windows are evenly arranged with voussoired roman -arch heads and stone sills, all of wich are boarded up. The windows and doors on the west facade were once large basket -handle arcades, which are now bricked up and replaced with rectangular openings. The rest of the structure contains square and rectangular shaped windows of various sizes which are all either bricked up or boarded shut. The rear single story portion of the structure still has some loading doors in operation, however, they are of the modern steel and aluminum variety. The front of the building has had a modern class storefront added to the first story where a used furniture store is housed. The building still boasts a smoke stack, battlements and two turrets. RECOMMENDATION Based on the Historic Preservation Commission's Local Landmark Criteria's adopted by the Common Council, the building at 1636 Lincolnway West has been recommended to the Common Council for designation as a Local Historic Landmark by Historic Preservation Commission. 2