Bachmann's Brewery

The Mayer Bachmann’s Brewery was the largest of the half-dozen breweries on Staten Island before its destruction by fire in 1881.

The brewery occupied the block bounded by Forest (Now Ditson), Maple (Now Lynhurst), Willow, and Tompkins Avenues in the village of Clifton. Constructed in 1851, it was the first lager beer factory on Staten Island. Originally named the "Clifton Brewery", it was financed in a joint venture between Antonio Meucci and Giuseppe Garibaldi. Comprising a number of brick buildings from three to four stories in height, it bordered rail road tracks of the right of way between the Staten Island Railway (also known as SIR, and formerly known as SIRT) and the former South Beach branch of SIRT. When it became Bachmann's brewery, SIRT had a station built with a wooden platform solely for the convenience of the employees of the brewery.

The Mayer Bachmann's Brewery operated until October 31, 1881, when the factory was destroyed by fire. However, Frederick Bachmann rebuilt the Bachmann Brewery, without his partner Mayer (Mayer got the insurance money and Bachmann got the brewery). The Bachmann Brewery, was in full operation under Frederick Bachmann until the last year of his life and eventual death on January 5, 1905, from Bright's Disease. It continued under this name until 1909 or 1910, when it merged with the Bechtel Brewery to become the Bachmann Bechtel Brewery, which continued until 1919, just after prohibition. When the Bachmann Brewery was in its heyday, Frederick Bachmann had associated businesses, including Beer Gardens, Hotels, and it was used as a resort, convention area.

According to an SIRT time table from 1921, the Bachmann train station remained in service or was reactivated sometime before. By 1937, it stood in the shadow of the Chestnut Avenue overpass and the Lynhurst Avenue pedestrian overpass (both part of the SIRT's grade elimination program). Since the factory was no longer there and the Rosebank station was but a mere tenth of a mile away, the station became redundant. Later that same year, it was abandoned and razed.

See also

Bachmann

References