Royal Brewery

The Royal Brewery is a historic former brewery in Honolulu, Hawaii. It features a distinctive decorative facade and is the oldest remaining structure associated with brewing in the state of Hawaii. [2]

Royal Brewery
Oldest Extant Brewery building in Hawaii.
Location547 Queen Street, Honolulu, Hawaii
Coordinates21°18′12.3″N 157°51′32.5″W
Built1900
ArchitectHermann Steinmann
Architectural styleRomanesque Revival
Part ofHawaii Capital Historic District (ID78001020)
NRHP reference No.72000421[1]
Added to NRHP1972

History

The building was designed in 1899 by Hermann Steinmann,[3] a New York architect experienced in brewery design for the Honolulu Malting and Brewing Company, in the then-contemporary Romanesque style. the brewery was the most successful brewery in Hawaii since Don Francisco de Paula Marín first recorded brewing a barrel of beer in 1812. [4]

The first beer to enter production was Primo in 1901, and the company received a license in 1903 for "malt liquor".[5]

Prohibition began in 1918 in Oahu, and upon its repeal, the brewery became home to the American Brewing Company. Their first product was Ambrew, later followed by Royal, which remained in near constant production until 1962. A strike in late 1939 and brief war time suspension were the only breaks. In 1960, with declining sales of Royal, American Brewing Company invested $250,000 in a modernization plan. Their efforts were not successful, and the company was out of business by 1963.

After sitting empty, the building was renovated in 1996.[6]

The building is currently home to the Hawaii Community Development Authority.[7]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. http://historic.honolulutransit.org/files/documents/doe_form_royal_brewery__honolulu_brewing___malting_co_.pdf Transit Survey Assessment
  3. Brewers' Journal, December 13 1899, 56.
  4. Schmitt, Robert C. Hawai'i's Beers and Brewers
  5. Laws of the Territory of Hawaii Passed by the Legislature, Pg. 31
  6. Burlingame, Bill Building the Royal Brewery took fine masonry skills, 2004
  7. http://dbedt.hawaii.gov/hcda/hcda-office-move/ HCDA Office Move, 02/27/2015
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