Lisa Kersavage, Executive Director
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
253 Broadway, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10007

Dr. Margaret Herman, Director of Research,
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
253 Broadway, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10007

RE: Letter of Support for Joseph Fallert Brewery Complex RFE

Dear Ms. Kersavage and Dr. Herman,

wishes to express support with the community to designate the Joseph Fallert Brewery Complex (the main factory 56 Meserole Street and the office building on 346 Lorimer Street) as an individual New York City Landmark. This multi-building industrial complex stands as one of the last surviving examples of the Brewer's Row on Meserole Street. It represents an irreplaceable record of the area's German immigrant heritage, industrial evolution and the robust Gilded Age commercial architecture of North Brooklyn.

Built between 1878 and 1910 through multiple construction phases by John Platte and the architectural firm of F. Wunder and Koch & Wagner, the complex has been described as a red-brick castle distinguished by ornate corbelled brickwork, arched windows and door openings, and a prominent masonry turret that remains visible from the surrounding streets. These features are all characteristic of a late nineteenth century industrial Romanesque and Germanic Rundenbogenstil architecture, favored by German immigrant craftsmen and brewery owners in the area.

Brooklyn was once home to many breweries that have become increasingly rare, as the majority have been demolished or heavily altered. The Complex retains its exterior massing, masonry, arched openings, turret and general character. By 1894, The Brewing Company's output skyrocketed from 3000 barrels of lager to 64,000 using a method of artificial refrigeration and bottling works. Even after Prohibition, the Company transitioned to post brewery operations such as sodas, a warehouse (1920s) and a furniture store (1930s).

As of this month, the new owner of the Complex has applied for a demolition permit, with the intention to clear the site for residential development. Once demolished, this structure cannot be recovered. The complex has tremendous potential for adaptive reuse as the previous owner filed plans to convert the space into a mixed-use building while retaining its historic character.

requests the LPC to designate the Joseph Fallert Brewery Complex as an Individual Landmark and that the Commission move promptly to evaluate this property given the active demolition permit application currently on file.