City Park Brewery
Also known as: Louis Bergdoll Brewing Company; Bergdoll Brewery
Why it's listed
The complex at 28th Street in Philadelphia grew from a brewing business founded by Louis J. Bergdoll, who arrived as an impoverished German immigrant. The firm moved to the site in 1856 and built up a group of brick buildings, including a brewhouse with fermenting, cooling and storage sections, a beer storehouse, an administrative building with a Victorian mansard roof, and a cooper shop that made the barrels used in the brewery. Bergdoll's business expanded to malt houses in New York, barley imports from Canada, and a realty company and motor car firm. Its growth made the area known as Brewerytown, where workers' houses were built around the works. The brewery operated until Prohibition forced its closure in 1920 and ceased entirely in 1934. The surviving buildings, with their ornate brickwork, are regarded as a valuable link to the city's industrial past.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex is significant for commerce and industry, as the main works of Louis J. Bergdoll, a German immigrant who became one of Philadelphia's leading businessmen through brewing, malting and related enterprises. Its brick buildings, with ornate arches and cornices typical of mid and late 19th-century construction, are presented as a visible record of that industrial growth and of the workers' housing built around it.
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 80003609, listed July 18, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly bounded by Pennsylvania Ave., 28th, 30th, and Poplar Sts., Philadelphia |
|---|---|
| County | Philadelphia |
| Listed | July 18, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80003609 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1856-1908 |
| Architectural style | Eclectic, with Italian Renaissance and Victorian elements |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Industry, Commerce, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The brewery ceased operations in 1934, and the nomination describes the surviving buildings as now unused. |
| Acreage | 1.5 |
| Within district | Fairmount Park |
| Coordinates | 39.97220, -75.18382 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 80003609.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5123351
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.