Forest City Brewery
Also known as: Distributers Furniture Warehouse
Why it's listed
Rising five stories on Union Avenue in Cleveland, this brick and concrete building was constructed in 1904 as the Forest City Brewery. Its castellated design, with corbeled piers and machicolated parapets, follows no standard style but reflects the look often used for breweries. The tall, stepped layout served the brewing process, which relied on gravity flow, pumping and hoisting, while lower blocks held power, heating, refrigeration, bottling and loading facilities. The company was formed by members of Cleveland's Czech community and brewed a light Bohemian pilsener, advertising its bottled beer when keg beer was more common. After Prohibition it continued as a bottling works and soft-drink and ice maker until closing in 1930. Cleveland once had about two dozen breweries, and few survive; this is considered the best preserved, with the only intact castellated brewery facade in the city. Adapted for furniture sales and storage, the building keeps its original exterior character, though the original brewing equipment is gone.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it one of the few remaining examples of distinctive American brewery architecture and the best preserved of the two or three Cleveland breweries left from about two dozen at the turn of the century. Its street facade is described as the only intact example in Cleveland of the massive, castellated, vaguely German style typical of breweries. It also represents the Czech community, which formed the company, and an industry important to social, economic and technological history.
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 76001394, listed May 3, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 6920--6922 Union Ave., Cleveland |
|---|---|
| County | Cuyahoga County |
| Listed | May 3, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76001394 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1904-1930 |
| Architectural style | Castellated industrial design, not in any recognized standard style |
| Areas of significance | Industry, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Interior adapted as a furniture display store and warehouse; no original brewing equipment remains, though the exterior has had no fundamental alterations. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 41.46304, -81.64011 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
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 76001394.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.