Property Record
2150 RIVERSIDE
Architecture and History Inventory
| Historic Name: | Hochgreave House and Brewery |
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| Reference Number: | 47325 |
| Location (Address): | 2150 RIVERSIDE |
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| County: | Brown |
| City: | Allouez |
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| Year Built: | 1862 |
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| Additions: | |
| Survey Date: | 198920122014 |
| Historic Use: | house |
| Architectural Style: | Italianate |
| Structural System: | |
| Wall Material: | Brick |
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| Other Buildings On Site: | |
| Demolished?: | No |
| Demolished Date: |
| National/State Register Listing Name: | Not listed |
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| Additional Information: | August Hochgreve was born in Germany in 1832, where he learned the brewing and barrel making trades. He immigrated to Allouez in 1852. In partnership with Henry Rahr, he founded Bellevue Brewery in 1857 in a non-extant building on the Fox River. In 1865, the partnership ended when Rahr established Rahr Brewing Company in Green Bay. Hochgreve continued brewing in Allouez under the name Hochgreve Brewing Company. In 1874, Hochgreve constructed a new, 3-story brick building to house his expanding business. Around this same time, Hochgreve had a prominent brick house constructed for his family immediately north of the brewery. As evidence by historic photographs, the house originally featured a heavily ornamented wrap-around porch, which has since been removed. Several additional non-extant buildings were later constructed by Hochgreve nearby, including a second brick house for other family members, seven houses for workers across the road, and several more south of the brewery. A non-extant monumental fountain, crowned with a statue of a swan, was once located in front of the brewery. When August Hochgreve died in 1877, his wife Caroline continued operation of the brewery, eventually aided by their son, Adolph. Prohibition halted production at the brewery in the 1920s. After Adolph’s death in 1932, another son, Christian, reestablished the brewery as the C. Hochgreve Brewing Co, which continued to operate after his death in 1938. The brewery ultimately closed in 1949. Photo code #1: FCS 10/22. 2014: This two-story house was built c.1862 and was part of the Hochgreve Brewery Company complex. It is of brick masonry construction with a square plan, a truncated hip roof, and flared eaves. The main (east) facade is symmetrical with the front door on the left side and is surrounded by a semicircular wood portico with four simple columns. There is also a paneled bay with simple details on the side (south) elevation. Windows are two-over-two with a flattened brick arch lintels. What appear to be several additions are located on the rear (west); they match the style and massing of the house. A single-story rectangular building has been connected to house. According to a 1936 Sanborn map, this was a freestanding building, probably used as an office for the brewery. It was originally clad in brick with decorative corbelling at the roofline. According to the WPHD record, the building has been clad in vinyl siding since the 1980s. The Hochgreve Brewery Company began in 1857 as the Bellevue Brewery and changed its name when August Hochgreve became sole owner in 1865. It was considered to be one of the big three breweries in the Green Bay area, the others being Rahr’s Brewery and Hagemeister. After the brewery closed in 1949, August Reimer Meats took over the space. More recently, Schenk and Associates bought the brewery building. The house and attached office building are now used for commercial space. Many of the original brewery buildings have been torn down, or like these, undergone substantial alterations. |
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| Bibliographic References: | Gullickson, Denis. “Green Bay breweries- a short history.” Green Bay Scene Newspaper July 2012, page 6. Interview with the Twigs 7/30/2010. O’Connel, Patricia Hochgreve. “2200 Riverside Drive (Schenck Building, 2006). 2006. 2013 1. Gullickson, Denis, "Green Bay Breweries - A Short History," Green Bay Scene Newspaper, http://www.scenenewspaper.com/moran-marketing/scene-newspaper/gb/editions/2012-07/PDFs/pg06_GB.pdf (accessed 30 May 2013). 2. Alterations to the brewery building, AHI #1769, include the removal of smoke stacks, replacement windows, and a modern addition to both the east and the west sides. |
| Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory, State Historic Preservation Office, Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wisconsin |