Rudolph Brand House
[Rudolph Brand House (1890) Curd H. Gottig, architect /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
When brewer Rudolph Brand built this house on Cedar Street in 1890, the block was lined with rusticated limestone fronted rowhouses. Brand squeezed in a free-standing single family home on a large lot at the end of a row, but he was no stranger to Cedar. His uncle Michael had built on brewery at the other end of the block in 1853, where Rudolph went to work when he arrived in Chicago from Germany in 1868.
[Rudolph Brand House, 60 E. Cedar Street, Chicago /Image & Artwork: designslinger]
By the time architect Curd H. Gottig drew up the plans for the multi-coned roof and turret, the brewery had relocated farther west and Uncle Mike had constructed a large mansion on the site. Rudolph started his own brewing concern in 1874, but returned to Michael Brand & Company in 1878 and took over the business when his uncle retired in 1889. The name was changed to the United States Brewing Company, and construction began on a house fit for a newly appointed beer company president.
[Rudolph Brand House /Image & Artwork: designsliner]
Brand retired from business in January 1916 because his health was declining and set off to spend the winter in San Diego, CA. where he died on March 25th at the age of 65. Word of his death was sent to his daughter Hedwig, now living at No. 32 Cedar, Michael Brand's old house, while Horace Brand, Michael's son and Rudolph's cousin, received word at his home next door, at No. 30. The Brand colony slowly dissipated after Rudolph's death, and although a large apartment building now sits on the site of Michael Brand's house, Rudolph and Horace's homes still stand as testament to a 158 year connection to Cedar Street and the Brand name.
See another Gottig project at: Lucius B. Mantonya Flats.
Posted by designslinger at 9/29/2011 3:04 AM 
Categories: Architecture, History
Tags: Curd H. Gottig C.H. Gottig Gold Coast Chicago brewers mansions
Categories: Architecture, History
Tags: Curd H. Gottig C.H. Gottig Gold Coast Chicago brewers mansions
I have some photos from the late 1990s of the last Michael Brand Brewery, which was on the west side of Elston a few blocks north of Fullerton, where Home Depot is now. I'll dig them out of my archives and post them to my blog soon.
Excellent!!
Wait...on further review, it looks like the Brand brewery is still standing, just south of the Home Depot parking lot. Not sure how old this Google image is, but it's the exact same building I photographed:
The building also briefly housed the short-lived Prairie Brewing during the 1990s, but by the time of my visit it was gone from there.
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated.
Thanks for enlightening us on who lived at what is now 60 E. Cedar and for providing such excellent photos. East Cedar is a difficult street to take photos due to the large trees and high rises blocking out the sun and creating significant shaddows.
In the short time that I have subscribed to designslinger, I have thoroughly enjoyed the buildings selected for photos and expecially the histories provided. Kudos to you both!
I would like to suggest a photo set on old and unique churches in chicago such as the 2nd Church of Christ Scientist chicago at Wrightwood/Pinegrove which opened in 1902 and still stands today and remains a Christian Science church although many have closed or been repurposed in the last few decades.
And thank you for the very generous compliments. As long as people enjoy what we're doing, we'll keep at it! We did do a posting about 2nd Church back in June of last year: A Temple for Christ, Scientist. And speaking of old churches, we posted about one of the city's oldest last November, Kell-tic Design. If you have the chance to read these, click on the churches tag at the bottom of the post and will it take you to a list of the churches we've visited thus far in our travels around Chicago.