Historic riverside brewery

By Miranda Monahan

The Riverside Brewery could soon be a pile of rubble after a decision was made by the members of the City of Windsor’s Heritage Committee to demolish the building.

The decision to demolish the building was made four months ago and was made even though the brewery is listed on the municipal heritage registry and dates back to prohibition.

The brewery is located at 10050 Riverside Drive E. and is a five-story building.

The decision to demolish the brewery largely comes down to the brewery being in deteriorating condition and safety. The damage to the building is largely interior.

In 1923 architect Albert H. McPhail built the brewery which was originally used to export illegal liquor to the U.S. until the end of prohibition in 1933.

When prohibition began Otto Rosenbusch brew master for the Stroh Brewing Company, and F.J. Kirsch established the Riverside Brewing Company. The brewery was in competition with other breweries to supply Americans with beer.

“The brewery was strategically located for moving beer across the border to the United States during Prohibition,” said Heather Colautti, registrar at Museum Windsor.

After prohibition ended, and the demand for alcohol diminished. The brewery was sold to the British American Brewing Company. The Essex Hybrid Seed Company would later purchase the brewery for $27,000 and use it from until 1965. The current owner, George Frye Holdings, purchased the brewery in 1965 and runs an aggregate operation on the brewery’s property. The building has been vacant since.

“In September 2015 the City issued an ‘Order to Repair’, noting deterioration of the sloped roof and the wooden penthouse vulnerable to collapse. Owner representatives and City staff met in mid-2016 to discuss their options. A structural engineer’s report from January 2016 noted significant decay of structural masonry systems and collapsing floors,” according to the City of Windsor’s meeting documents from Dec. 11, 2017.

Kristina Tang is the acting heritage planner for the City of Windsor and took over the position after John Calhoun, the former heritage planner, retired.

“The poor condition of the building is also a result of deterioration and lack of maintenance to the building over the years,” said Tang. “Heritage Planning strongly discourages demolition of heritage resources, unless irreparable.”

Homeless people were using the brewery as a place to sleep and there was concern about the building collapsing on them. There was also concern about emergency personnel entering the building.

The building has been listed on the Municipal Heritage Registry since August 2007. To be listed on the heritage registry, a building has to meet at least one certain criteria under section 29 of the Ontario Heritage Act.

“The property has design value or physical value because it is a rare, unique, representative or early example of a style, type, expression, material or construction method, displays a high degree of craftsmanship or artistic merit, or demonstrates a high degree of technical or scientific achievement,” according city council meeting documents.

“The property has contextual value because it is important in defining, maintaining or supporting the character of an area, is physically, functionally, visually or historically linked to its surroundings, or is a landmark,” according to the meeting documents.

Heritage registries can also include properties which are not designated, but are of interest to the municipality.

The brewery’s property is going to be used for the expansion of the seed aggregate operations.

Demolition began on April 19 and it is up to the owner to pay for the demolition. The Monarch Liqueurs building, which is next to the brewery will be spared. The cost was not disclosed. City council has asked for the brewery’s Circle-R emblem to be donated to Museum Windsor.

It is unknown how long the demolition could take.