Kips Bay Brewing Company

Beer brewery in New York City (1894–1947)

Kips Bay Brewing Company

Former Kips Bay Brewing Company buildings on First Avenue in 2023

Location| New York, NY
Coordinates| 40°44′45.5″N 73°58′17.5″W﻿ / ﻿40.745972°N 73.971528°W﻿ / 40.745972; -73.971528
Opened| 1894
Closed| 1947

Kips Bay Brewing Company, also known as Kips Bay Brewing and Malting Co. and Patrick Skelly Brewery, was a brewery located in Manhattan, New York City, that operated from 1894 to 1947. The former company's buildings have been repurposed into offices and are one of two groups of surviving brewery structures in Manhattan from the period when brewing was a major industry in the city.

## History

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### Construction and early years

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The brewery opened in 1894 on First Avenue between 37th and 38th streets and was originally named after Patrick Skelly, an Irishman who established the company. He renamed the business to Kips Bay Brewing Company the following year after the adjacent neighborhood of Kips Bay.[1][2] Patrick died in 1908 and ownership of the brewery was turned over to his son Hugh, who served as its president until his death in 1943.[3][4]

The brewery's facilities included the former Kips Bay Malt House, a six-story brick building located at the southeast corner of First Avenue and 38th Street, which Skelly bought at a trustee's auction in March 1892. The purchase included property having frontages of 148.1 feet (45.1 m) on First Avenue and 150 feet (46 m) on 38th Street and also contained more than 80 feet (24 m) of waterfront access on the East River.[5][6][7] The malt house had been previously owned by brewers Simon Bernheimer and David Jones; its sale had been ordered by a court in 1890 as a result of legal action taken by the executors of the estate of David Jones following his death in 1881.[8]

In September 1892, plans were prepared by architects Lederle & Co. for a brewery and stock house at 648-650 First Avenue having a frontage of 44.6 feet (13.6 m) and a depth of 125 feet (38 m).[9][10] Maps published by G.W. Bromley & Co. and the Sanborn Map Company indicate that by 1899 the company's facilities had expanded southward along the east side of First Avenue to its intersection with 37th Street.[11][12][13] According to the records of architects J. B. Snook & Sons, the firm was involved in designing several projects on the site including an addition to the roof at 648-650 First Avenue, a penthouse at First Avenue and 37th Street, and the "Kips Bay Brewery," the latter of which occurred in 1901.[14]

### 20th century

[edit]

On the morning of January 25, 1905, a fire broke out in the grinding room on the fourth floor of the malt house, resulting in a three-alarm fire that drew twelve fire engines, four ladder trucks and three fireboats to the site. The water used in fighting the fire was absorbed by 115,000 US bushels (4,100,000 L) of grain and malt stored on the upper floors, which caused the building's walls on First Avenue and 38th Street to crack and ultimately collapse.[15][16] The blaze was prevented from spreading into the adjacent brewery by a thick wall that separated the two structures and the actions of the firefighters to contain the blaze within the building where the fire originated.[17] The Kips Bay Malt House was originally built by Otto Neidlinger in 1864;[18] the building was characterized as "one of the oldest structures of the kind in this city" according to an article concerning the fire written in The Brooklyn Daily Times.[17]

While the East Side of Manhattan was home to a number of large breweries in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries that took advantage of the East River for shipments of malt and hops by barge and the lagering of beer in the banks of the river, the Kips Bay Brewing Company was a neighborhood brewery that did not distribute its beer outside of Manhattan, catering only to patrons at its on-site taproom and to restaurants and saloons in the local area that were reachable by deliveries from the company’s horse drawn wagons.[19][20]

In 1928, the brewery was shut down during Prohibition after a raid by federal agents discovered that five percent alcohol beer was being manufactured and smuggled out of the facility through garage doors that were camouflaged with brick and imitation steam and water pipes. The federal government seized the beer and took possession of the brewing equipment.[3][21] The brewery reopened in 1934 after the repeal of Prohibition and remained in operation until 1947.[2][22]

## Redevelopment

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Construction of the residential conversion of 650 First Avenue in 2024

After the closure of the brewery, both of its seven story buildings remained intact and were subsequently converted into offices. These include 660 First Avenue at the southeast corner of 38th Street and 650 First Avenue at the northeast corner of 37th Street. Along with the former Yuengling Brewing complex on the Upper West Side, the Kips Bay Brewing Company is one of two groups of brewery buildings that survive in Manhattan from the period when brewing was a major industry in New York City.[23] Each building has a copper-clad mansarded cupola in the French Second Empire style at the corner of the roof.[22][24]

From 1953 to 1993, a major tenant in 660 First Avenue was CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere). The building served as CARE's United States headquarters for forty years until the organization moved to Atlanta.[20][25][26] 660 First Avenue currently serves as medical office space for the nearby NYU Langone Health academic medical center. 650 First Avenue is a 125,000-square-foot (11,600 m2) building that also primarily accommodates medical office space. While the former brewery's large floors and windowless space would normally not be appealing to most businesses, the buildings' proximity to hospitals and other doctors made them attractive as medical office space.[27][28]

In March 2023, 650 First Avenue was purchased for $33.5 million by Lalezarian Properties, which planned to convert the structure into a residential building. Designed by Ismael Leyva Architects, the conversion would add three more stories to the building and contain 111 apartments.[29][30]

## References

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### Notes

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1. ^ Quass 2019, p. 9.
2. ^ a b "Kips Bay Brewing Co". OldBreweries.com. August 22, 2013. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
3. ^ a b Quass 2019, p. 11.
4. ^ "Hugh P. Skelly". The New York Times. January 25, 1943. p. 14\. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
5. ^ "Real Estate At Auction". The World. New York. March 3, 1892. p. 11.
6. ^ "The Real Estate Market". The New York Times. March 4, 1892. p. 6. Retrieved February 4, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
7. ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(cartographic) Map bounded by Lexington Ave., E. 40th St., East River, E. 25th St., (1891)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
8. ^ "Takes 42 Years To Settle Debts". The New York Times. August 16, 1914. p. 13\. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
9. ^ Real Estate Record and Builders' Guide. Vol. 50\. F. W. Dodge Corporation. 1892. p. 268\. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024 - via Google Books.
10. ^ "Building Intelligence". The American Architect and Building News. 37 (872): 15. September 10, 1892. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024 - via Google Books.
11. ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(cartographic) Bounded by Lexington Avenue, E. 40th Street, First Avenue (East River) and E. 25th Street, (1897)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
12. ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(cartographic) Bounded by E. 42nd Street, (East River Piers) First Avenue, E. 37th Street and Third Avenue, (1899)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
13. ^ Digital Collections, The New York Public Library. "(cartographic) Manhattan, V. 4, Double Page Plate No. 76 [Map bounded by East 42nd St., East River, East 37th St., 2nd Ave.], (1899)". The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
14. ^ "Guide to the John B. Snook Architectural Records Collection 1762-1948". New-York Historical Society. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
15. ^ "Malthouse Destroyed By Fire". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 25, 1905. p. 5\. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
16. ^ "Suffer In Fierce Fire". New-York Tribune. January 26, 1905. p. 14\. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
17. ^ a b "Big Malt House Burned". The Brooklyn Citizen. January 25, 1905. p. 2\. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024 - via Newspapers.com.
18. ^ American Brewers' Review. Vol. 21\. 1907. p. 230\. Archived from the original on February 4, 2024. Retrieved February 4, 2024 - via Google Books.
19. ^ Quass 2019, pp. 8–11.
20. ^ a b Levy, Lawrence C. (March 20, 1977). "Stout Relics of Brewing's Golden Age". The New York Times. p. 264\. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
21. ^ "Kips Bay Brewery Is Seized In Raid". The New York Times. July 3, 1928. p. 8\. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
22. ^ a b Quass 2019, p. 12.
23. ^ "Yuengling Brewing Complex (6 Sites), Manhattan". Six to Celebrate. Historic Districts Council. February 11, 2015. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
24. ^ White, Norval; Willensky, Elliot; Leadon, Fran (2010). AIA Guide to New York City (5th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19538-386-7., p. 258.
25. ^ Dunlap, David W. (August 7, 1994). "Shift by Nonprofits Leaves Space Behind". The New York Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
26. ^ Melvin, Don; Basu, Moni (December 30, 1999). "Q&A On The News". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. A2. ProQuest 247270658.
27. ^ Garbarine, Rachelle (August 14, 1991). "All Offices Leased in a Converted East Side Warehouse". The New York Times. p. D15. Archived from the original on October 28, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
28. ^ Deutsch, Claudia H. (November 21, 1993). "As Costs Soar, the Solo Practice Starts to Fade". The New York Times. p. R13. Archived from the original on August 9, 2021. Retrieved October 27, 2022.
29. ^ Young, Celia (March 27, 2023). "Lalezarian Picks Up Murray Hill Office Building for $34M, Plans Resi Conversion". Commercial Observer. Archived from the original on January 30, 2024. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
30. ^ Weiss, Lois (April 26, 2023). "What will it take to convert NYC's empty office towers into housing?". New York Post. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2024.

### Sources

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* Quass, Ken (Winter 2019). "Big Apple, Little Brewery". The Breweriana Collector. National Association Breweriana Advertising. pp. 8–14.

## External links

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* Media related to Kips Bay Brewing Company at Wikimedia Commons

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East Midtown (34th–59th Sts, east of Lexington Ave) and Turtle Bay

Manhattan, New York City

Buildings

| 34th–42nd Sts|

* 146 East 38th Street
* 152 East 38th Street
* 207 East 36th Street
* 325 East 38th Street
* 333 East 38th Street
* Allerton 39th Street House
* Civic Club / Estonian House
* The Copper
* The Corinthian
* Daily News Building
* George S. Bowdoin Stable
* Jonathan W. Allen Stable
* Kips Bay Brewing Company
* Manhattan Place
* Socony–Mobil Building
* Tudor City
* View 34

|

42nd–51st Sts|

* One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza
* One United Nations Plaza
* Two United Nations Plaza
* Three United Nations Plaza
* 50 United Nations Plaza
* 219 East 49th Street
* 525 Lexington Avenue
* 569 Lexington Avenue
* Amster Yard
* Beaux-Arts Apartments
* Beekman Tower
* Edgar J. Kaufmann Conference Center
* Ford Foundation Center for Social Justice
* Lescaze House
* Luxembourg House
* Trump World Tower
* Tudor City
* Turkish House
* Turtle Bay Gardens
* United Nations headquarters
* Dag Hammarskjöld Library
* Conference Building
* General Assembly Building
* Secretariat Building

51st–59th Sts|

* One Sutton Place South
* 23 Beekman Place
* 252 East 57th Street
* 300 East 57th Street
* 303 East 51st Street
* 312 and 314 East 53rd Street
* 599 Lexington Avenue
* 731 Lexington Avenue
* 919 Third Avenue
* Citigroup Center
* Lipstick Building
* Modulightor Building
* River House
* Rockefeller Guest House
* The Sovereign
* Sutton House

Former|

* East Side Airline Terminal
* Kips Bay Generating Station
* Waterside Generating Station

Culture

| Shops, restaurants, nightlife|

* P. J. Clarke's
* Sarge's Deli
* Shun Lee Palace
* Sparks Steak House
* Sushi Amane
* Sushi Yasuda
* Tempura Matsui
* Townhouse Bar

|

Museums/venues|

* The ImaginAsian
* Japan Society
* Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre
* Trygve Lie Gallery

Hotels|

* The Benjamin Royal Sonesta New York
* Lexington Hotel
* Millennium Hilton New York One UN Plaza
* The Westin New York Grand Central Hotel

Former|

* Belmont Plaza Hotel
* Café Nicholson
* Caesar's Retreat
* Christ Cella
* Cloud Club
* Convivio
* Costello's
* DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Metropolitan New York City
* El Morocco
* The Embers
* Lafayette
* Le Cirque
* Le Club
* Lutèce
* Mischa
* Murray Hill Theatre
* Museum of the Peaceful Arts
* Neary's
* New York Marriott East Side
* Tulsi
* Vong

Other points of interest

| Green spaces|

* Amster Yard
* Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza
* East River Greenway
* Greenacre Park
* MacArthur Playground
* Peter Detmold Park
* Ralph Bunche Park
* Robert Moses Playground
* St. Vartan Park
* Trygve Lie Plaza

|

Education|

* Cathedral High School
* High School of Art and Design
* Lyceum Kennedy International School
* P.S. 135
* Stern College for Women

Religion|

* Church Center for the United Nations
* Church of the Covenant
* Church of the Holy Family
* St. Agnes Church
* St. Boniface Church
* St. Gabriel Church
* St. John the Evangelist Church
* St. Vartan Armenian Cathedral
* Sutton Place Synagogue

Transportation

| Subway stations|

* Grand Central–42nd Street
* Lexington Avenue/51st Street
* Lexington Avenue/59th Street

|

Railroad, ferry|

* Grand Central Madison
* Grand Central Terminal
* East 34th Street Ferry Landing

Streets|

* First Avenue
* Second Avenue
* Third Avenue
* 34th Street
* 42nd
* 47th
* 50th
* 51st
* 52nd
* 53rd
* 54th
* 55th
* 57th
* 59th
* Beekman Place
* Lexington Avenue
* Sutton Place

Related topics

* Murray Hill
* Sniffen Court Historic District

See also: Manhattan Community Board 6
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