National Register of Historic Places

Union Brewery

Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa
Listed
April 9, 1986
Type
Building
Period
Civil War
Ref No.
86000710

About this property

The Union Brewery is a historic brewery building in Iowa City, Iowa. The brewery was founded in 1856 by German immigrants Anton Geiger and Simeon Hotz. Conrad Graf was the brewery's brewmaster, and its beer was named Graf's Golden Brew after him; Graf later came to own the brewery after Geiger's death. Graf was instrumental in inciting the 1884 Iowa City beer riots, a popular uprising against Iowa's new prohibition law; the rioting mob injured multiple law officers and city attorneys, one of whom successfully sued Graf for $7,000. The brewery continued to operate until Prohibition; during Prohibition, it attempted to produce soda, but residual yeast spores caused the soda to ferment. A network of tunnels connected the Union Brewery to two other breweries in Iowa City. The tunnels linked cellars and "beer caves" used by the breweries to store their products. The tunnels are well-preserved, and a developer has attempted to reopen them for tours or business use. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 10, 1986.

Location

127--131 N. Linn and 221--227 E. Market
Iowa City, Johnson County, Iowa
41.66330, -91.53193

Categories

COMMERCEARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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Jefferson Street Historic District
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St. Mary's Church and Rectory
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Union Bakery
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0 mi

Questions about this property

When was Union Brewery listed on the National Register?

Union Brewery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 9, 1986.

What type of historic resource is Union Brewery?

Union Brewery is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Union Brewery?

The period of significance for Union Brewery is recorded as the civil_war era.

Can I research the history near Union Brewery?

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