1636 Lincoln Way West Demolition Report

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HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION OF SOUTH BEND AND ST. JOSEPH COUNTY Phone: 574/235.9371 Fax: 574/235.9021 Email: hpcsbsjc@southbendin.gov STAFF REPORT CONCERNING DEMOLITION OF AN HISTORIC LANDMARK Date: September 16, 2022 Property Location: 1632-1636 Lincoln Way West Architectural Style/Date/Architect or Builder: Collegiate Gothic / 1904 / Huetteman & Cramer (Builder) Property Owner: LWW LLC Landmark or District Designation: South Bend Local Landmark, Or- dinance #8965-98, National Register of Historic Places Rating: Outstanding DESCRIPTION OF STRUCTURE/ SITE: The brick industrial building located at 1636 Lincoln Way West sits on a triangular parcel adjacent to the former New York Central railroad line and College Street. Construction be- gan in 1903 and was completed in mid 1904 for the South Bend Brewing Association’s brewing and the local distri- bution of beer. A group of Polish, German, and Hungarian tavern operators from the city’s west side organized the association and raised funds through the sale of 10,000 shares of stock and the lease of taverns. The brewing fa- cility was in operation until the mid-20th century. The Gothic castle-inspired architecture of the building with a corbelled cornice beneath brick battlements and towers facing Lincoln Way West externally illustrates the procedures employed to brew beer. The three to four story front portion of the building reflects the need for gravity flow to facilitate the brewing process. The horizontal portion of the building and the smokestack contained the power, heating and refrigeration equipment as well as the loading facilities. The original building was approximately 100 ft x 100 ft of the northeast corner. Around 1910 the building was extended west. BUILDING CONSTRUCTION: Walls and Roof The main 3-story building with fourth story towers at the northwest and northeast corners was constructed of brick, terra cotta, concrete, limestone, steel and wood. It was constructed in fireproof techniques common during the time. Walls were of descending thickness of brick wythes starting with 3 wythe at the third floor, 4 wythes on the second floor, and 5 wythes thick at the first floor. (Fig. 1) Floors were constructed with steel i-beams set on steel plates in pockets in the brick wall. The steel beams ran in a north to south direction perpendicular to the front façade