530-554 President Street, NS, PS 1

Name: Former Hildebrand Baking Company

Address: 530-554 President Street
Cross Streets: 3rd and 4th avenues
Neighborhood: Gowanus
Year Built: 1890-1902
Architectural Style: Romanesque Revival
Architect: Charles Werner
Other Buildings by Architect: St. Francis Xavier Academy in Park Slope, row houses and apartment buildings in Park Slope, Stuyvesant Heights, Prospect Heights and Fort Greene, O. Wissner Piano factory, Atlantic Avenue (demolished)
Landmarked: No, but part of proposed National Register and NYC Landmark Historic Districts

 

The Hildebrand Baking Company was founded by three brothers; John, Harry and Fred Hildebrand. The brothers built the first of the buildings in this complex around 1890, and added to it until completed in 1902. The first buildings were the two story bakery buildings, followed by the three story buildings at the turn of the 20th century. All of them appear to have been designed by Charles Werner.

Charles Werner was one of those competent, but low-key architects who helped build Brooklyn, but one whose name is generally overlooked. He had a long career, and was pretty prolific. He set up his offices in 1876, at 82-86 Schermerhorn Street, and later moved to larger offices in what became the architect’s building of choice; the Garfield Building, on Court Street. He was also quartermaster of the 13th Regiment, and his name appears on the records when their new armory in Bedford was being constructed in the 1890s.

His credits include row houses in Park Slope, Stuyvesant Heights and Prospect Heights, and apartment buildings in Park Slope and in Fort Greene. He also designed a couple of suburban houses in Prospect Park South, and at least one large factory in Essex County, N.J. His more notable buildings, besides this bakery complex, were the O. Wissner Piano Factory, which once stood on Atlantic Avenue, near Franklin, and St. Francis Xavier Academy, further up President Street, near 6th Avenue. His career was a long one, and he was at work until at least 1910.

Brooklyn had a lot of bakeries at the turn of the 20th century. They were scattered all over the borough, supplying local and regional needs. Some were quite large like Ward’s Bakery, once at the Atlantic Yards, while others were much smaller, like the one featured in a recent BOTD, located in Wallabout. As in many industries, the smaller operators were often bought out by large conglomerates, and stayed open, but were operating for a larger concern.

 

1980s tax photo: Municipal Archives

1980s tax photo: Municipal Archives

 

In 1910, a group of twelve bakeries in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Hoboken and Jersey City joined together in a consortium. Hildebrand Baking Company and another Brooklyn baker, John H. Shults Co. were the two largest in the group, and the consortium was organized under the name Shults Bread Company. J. Frederick Hildebrand was appointed to the board of directors and John Hildebrand was often called on to be the company representative at conventions and other events.

In 1923, the United Bakeries Association bought a controlling interest in Shults, and a year later, the Continental Baking Corporation was organized by William Ward, grandson of Wards Bakery founder Robert Ward. They absorbed United Bakeries, and therefore Shults, and this facility. The 1926 Sanborn map shows this complex as the Continental Bakeries Corp-Shults Bread Company. John Hildebrand, who was one of the originators of the merger, left the baking business soon after, and became president of the Fulton Savings Bank.

 

Carroll St. side. Photo: Nicholas Strini for Property Shark

Carroll Street side. Photo: Nicholas Strini for PropertyShark

 

Continental Baking was huge, with facilities all over the country. Their biggest product was Wonder Bread, and they also owned Hostess Cakes. I was unable to find the date they gave up this facility. Over the years, it’s been owned by many manufacturing and storage companies. Until a few years ago, it was largely ignored, not cared for, and parts of it were sealed up. Today, the building is revived, and is now home to several interesting businesses, including a health club, a prop shop and the Textile Arts Center.

 

514 Carroll St. Photo: Google Maps514 Carroll Street. Photo: Google Maps

 

The buildings are quite nice, especially the earlier two-story buildings. They have with large arched windows, which are on the second floor in the President St. building, and on the first floor in the Carroll Street building, which houses the Textile Arts Center. Werner put arches everywhere, and lots of large windows, giving what are actually small buildings the illusion of greater height. They are a unique addition to the fine manufacturing buildings that make up the fabric of Gowanus.

(Much of the historical information was sourced from the Gowanus Canal Corridor Rezoning Report, prepared for the State of NY in 2009. It’s fascinating stuff!)

 

Photo: Google Maps

Photo: Google Maps

Top Photo: Nicholas Strini for PropertyShark, 2012


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