Loerzel Beer Hall
Also known as: The Brewery
Why it's listed
Standing on a steep hillside at the corner of Partition and Clermont Streets in Saugerties, this three-story brick building combined a beer hall, a brewery and a family residence under one roof. Loerenz Loerzel, a Bavarian-born shoemaker and violinist who arrived in 1846, built it around 1873 after fire destroyed his earlier frame building. Broad brick gables, a heavy bracketed cornice, cast-iron lintels and a rooftop lantern give it a commanding presence. Inside, the residential half has elegant parlors, while the other half holds a barroom and a two-story ballroom with a musician's balcony carved in a lyre motif and a stencilled ceiling. The nomination links this arrangement to German precedent, noting that local taverns were smaller and upper-story halls were not tied to drinking establishments. The Loerzel family later became regional beer distributors. Prohibition closed the hall in 1920, and it has stood unused since, with its interiors largely intact. The brewery wing was demolished around 1950.
Significance in brief: It is presented as a rare surviving example of an unusual building type that combined a beer hall, brewery and residence, patterned after German examples. It also survives intact from an active industrial period along the nearby Esopus Creek and reflects the commercial and social character of Saugerties in the late nineteenth century.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 84003234, listed September 7, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 213 Partition St., Saugerties |
|---|---|
| County | Ulster County |
| Listed | September 7, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84003234 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed in 1920 by Prohibition, rented intermittently after 1933, and unused since; the attached brewery wing was demolished circa 1950. The form notes virtually no loss of structural or decorative integrity since the 1930s. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.07489, -73.95078 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 84003234.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q6666571
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.