February 2026.
Louis Hoster’s brewery was the largest Columbus brewery in what is now known as the Brewery District. Of its three competitors, it has the highest quantity of factory buildings remaining today. This post specifically covers parts of the brewery outside of the main “brewing block” and “support block” that I didn’t discuss in the first one, such as the bottling plant and Brewmaster’s Gate.
The L. Hoster Brewing Company is located at 477 South Front Street in the Brewery District neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio. The complex is bordered by Fulton Street and the I-70 trench to the north, Liberty Street and the site of the Born Capital Brewery to the south, Front Street to the east, and 2nd Street to the west.
History
See the first post for the complex’s history.
Photos
(NRHP listing)
Above is a handy bird’s-eye map of the entire Hoster brewing complex. This post covers every building except those demolished and building Q, which has its own post. Feel free to use this as a reference while you continue reading.
Bottling Plant - Building O
A smaller bottling facility has been located on Building O’s site since 1876, after George Hoster (Louis’s son) attended the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia that year and decided to invest in new bottling technology for the brewery. At first, it was privately owned by him, but it became part of the larger brewery in 1888. This earlier bottling plant was demolished after 1899 and replaced by the existing building in 1900. It is a four-story structure.
After the brewery closed during Prohibition, the Bottling Plant was used by the Maclean Company, an architectural woodwork manufacturer, from the early 1920s until around 1988. It was then converted to a mixed-use residential and commercial complex from 1988 to 1989. The upper floors are condos, while the lower floors are used by businesses and the Smash Buddies restaurant.
The main entrance off of Front Street:
It has some decorative touches, such as the stone border, original wooden doors, and iron framing around it.
North end:
Oblique view of the south facade:
This balcony is from the renovation into condos, though it doesn’t look to be in the greatest shape:
Oxeye windows on the east end:
Segmentally arched windows above, with Postmodern balconettes:
Southeast corner of the plant from Brewer Street:
One of the large vaulted openings:
These large windows and glass doors are from the 1989 renovation, as are these smaller, blue windows above:
Note the subtle brick cornice above, the only ornamental detail on this building.
I really like this chimney section. I think it has been chopped down slightly, but it is the only building across the entire brewery with its smokestack intact:
The base has a small opening into the flue:
Very rustic. I wonder if they could adaptively reuse this into a pizza oven. ;)
More regular window openings on the east side, with the Franklin County Courthouse in the background:
It’s always odd comparing these brick structures with contemporary metal-and-glass skyscrapers. Buildings like the Hoster Brewery ended up inspiring Modern architecture, however, which in turn brought us designs like the courthouse.
Building P - Bottling Plant Annex
The Bottling Plant Annex stands immediately south of the Bottling Plant. It was built between 1910 and 1920, as it does not appear on the 1910 Baist map but does on the 1920 map. It is a very narrow building with a one-story and two-story section, along with a more modern rooftop terrace.
Looking down the blind panels and windows:
Brickwork and garage door detail:
Smaller ribbon window nearby:
The northeast corner is two stories. I wonder if the double-height windows were punched into formerly blind bays.
Rear of the annex, with a disused plaza:
Brewmaster’s Gate
This building is much more modern than the rest of the complex, though it also has an industrial character. It was built in 2003 as an entertainment venue. It was closed even as of the NRHP listing’s summary, highlighting the Brewery District’s decline in popularity, and it is used as parking today.
Detail of the brick entrance doors:
I like the engraved stone lintel and the metal medallion above.
The west facade eschews brick entirely in favor of glass and corrugated metal:
Peeking into the open door--the ceiling has hanging incandescent bulbs:
The Hoster Brewery was definitely a beast to cover and write. Hopefully its adaptive reuse plans are completed and bring some life back to the Brewery District, as this area has so much character.
Sources:
https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/761c7462-cdc6-4801-a3d4-33757fb1af09
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L._Hoster_Brewing_Company
https://columbusunderground.com/lets-make-the-brewery-district-great-again-we1/
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