Information
Landmark: Quackenbush Pumping Station (Historical Factory Site)City: Albany
Country: USA New York
Continent: North America
Quackenbush Pumping Station (Historical Factory Site), Albany, USA New York, North America
Overview
Once called the Quackenbush Pumping Station, the Albany Pump Station is a landmark of industrial history, standing at 19 Quackenbush Square on Broadway in Albany, New York, with its brick walls weathered by more than a century of use.Built in 1873, it served as Albany’s municipal water pumping station, sending fresh water through iron pipes and driving the city’s expansion through the late 1800s and into the early 1900s.Architect Edward Ogden designed the Albany Pump Station, built to draw water straight from the cold, rushing Hudson River to the city’s Bleecker Reservoir.The system kept pace with Albany’s booming population, meeting the growing need for factory steam and kitchen taps alike, at a time when the city’s rapid growth made dependable public utilities essential.For more than sixty years, the pumping station kept the city’s taps flowing, right up until 1937, when the newly finished Alcove Reservoir became the main water source and left the old station standing silent.Honored for its striking design and industrial heritage, the building joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, its brick façade still warm in the afternoon sun.Preserving it shines a light on Albany’s industrial roots and how the city’s water systems have changed-like the old iron pipes still buried beneath downtown streets.The Albany Pump Station is a two-story brick building with a hipped slate roof, its sturdy walls and no-nonsense design reflecting a straightforward, industrial style.Windows: Tall arches of glass let sunlight pour in, warming the desks and glinting off scattered papers.Inside, the space feels wide and airy, with high ceilings held aloft by sturdy wooden beams and cool steel trusses.The building still holds its original overhead cranes, each weighing up to 20 tons, once used to lift and move massive machinery and rumbling engines.Today, the cranes stand rust-red and silent, kept as a reminder of the building’s industrial past.In 1999, Neil Evans-whose family had brewed beer for generations-bought the old brick building and turned it into the C. H. Evans Brewing Company brewpub.They turned the old pumping station into a lively brewpub and restaurant, keeping the raw steel beams and much of the building’s rugged industrial charm intact.The renovation kept the old overhead cranes and soaring ceilings, weaving them into the brewpub’s design so the place feels like history and modern life sharing the same lively room.The brewery shot to fame for its craft beers, picking up medals at big-name contests like the World Beer Cup and the Great American Beer Festival, where the aroma of hops filled the air.In October 2023, C. H. Evans Brewing Company shut the doors of its Albany Pump Station, leaving the bar stools empty and the lights dark.Later, Common Roots Brewing Company, a craft brewery from South Glens Falls, New York, moved in and fired up the kettles on the site.Following renovations to suit their needs, Common Roots Brewing swung open the doors of their Albany location in February 2024, carrying on the site’s tradition as a welcoming spot where neighbors gather over a fresh pint.Today, the Albany Pump Station shows how adaptive reuse can bring historic preservation to life-its brick walls still smell faintly of old river damp.Rising from the heart of Albany, it honors the city’s industrial past, keeping its brickwork and iron details intact while adapting to serve today’s community.It keeps a clear, lasting connection to Albany’s 19th‑century growth, from the brick streets to the old iron lampposts.It’s a lively spot where locals and travelers gather for craft beer, swap stories about its rich past, and admire the brick arches overhead.Keeping it alive as both a brewery and a restaurant shows how vital it is to protect old buildings by giving them fresh, profitable roles-like the scent of hops drifting through a century‑old brick hall.The Albany Pump Station isn’t just a former factory-it’s a lively reminder of the city’s industrial past, its knack for preserving history, and its vibrant cultural scene, where the scent of brewing hops still drifts through the air.
