Columbia Heidelberg Brewery to be razed, but branding remains classic forever

When the City of Tacoma’s Landmarks Preservation Commission last week agreed with a series of reports showing the former Columbia Heidelberg Brewery complex — which served as a brewery for nearly 80 years beginning in 1900 — had been stripped of most of its historic significance after decades of remodeling, new construction, and eventually neglect, it cleared the way for the site’s demolition later this year. A historic buildings inventory report completed in 2003 noted “expansion has totally destroyed any traces of the old brewery.” On Nov. 10, 2010, the city’s public works department issued a dangerous building citation after an inspector noted substandard conditions such as “missing roof, unstable walls, open shafts, missing structural elements, lack of utility service, missing windows, loose and dangling building components, unstable equipment, unsafe electrical system, and standing water.” The commission’s decision allows the property owner, Strand Investors, to move forward with a demolition application it has already submitted to City Hall. The buildings, located at 2120 South C Street, might be gone soon, but the branding and logos will remain for a long time in the archives of the Tacoma Public Library’s Northwest Room. Today, the Tacoma Daily Index looks at some of those beautifully designed logos and bottle labels, which were included in a packet of materials submitted to the commission.

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Demolition ahead for Tacoma’s Heidelberg Brewery (01/13/11) — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23&id=1907292&more=0

Last call for Columbia Heidelberg Brewery buildings? (01/07/11) — http://www.tacomadailyindex.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=88&cat=23=1904418=0