The Lion Brewery in Morningside Heights (New York, York: transfer, neighborhood, university)

[Aeran]

Some NYC history.

https://ilovetheupperwestside.com/th...gside-heights/

The Lion Brewery in Morningside Heights

Before the Columbia University lion mascot graced Morningside Heights, there was another “lion” fixture in the neighborhood; the Lion Brewery, which lasted from 1857 to 1944.

While the actual street locations vary between reports, the Columbia University Library says the brewery was situated between 106th and 110th Streets and stretched from Tenth Avenue to Central Park.

In 1820, the brewery began as Schmidt & Speyer. It was owned by a gentleman named Joseph Schmid (sometimes spelled with a “T” at the end), a German immigrant. Joseph then met a new partner, Emanuel Bernheimer, and updated the name to Bernheimer & Schmidt. Eventually, they renamed the brewery Lion Brewery in 1850.

The Columbia University Library reported that the brewery generated between $1,500,000 to $2,225,000 in the next thirty years. Unfortunately, newspapers also reported that Bernheimer and Schmidt’s combined net worth had fallen to $500,000. The two owners decided to transfer their business shares to their more business-savvy sons, August Schmid and Simon Bernheimer. The brewery was valued at $1,500,000 by 1888.

At the time, the neighborhood of Morningside Heights was the perfect location for the brewery because it was vast farmland with no mass transit connections to downtown New York. The Columbia University Library reported that the south portion of the brewery block was allocated for stables.