Schlitz Brewery-Tied House at 1801 W. Division Street (Former)

Address: 1801 W. Division St. Year Built: 1900 - 1901 Architect: Fritz Lang Date Designated a Chicago Landmark: May 4, 2011

From the 1890s up to Prohibition, brewing companies built and operated their own taverns, or "tied-houses," throughout Chicago's neighborhoods. 1801 W Division was built in 1901 by the Milwaukee-based Schlitz Brewery, and it is one of the best-remaining examples of the tied-house system in Chicago. When it was built, Schlitz had become one of the largest breweries in the nation, and its Chicago market was managed by Edward Uihlein who built at least 57 other tied-houses in the city. The building's high-quality architectural design and cheerful German Renaissance style of architecture was intended to attract customers, and to project a positive image in the face of rising opposition to alcohol and neighborhood taverns. With its stepped and scrolled gable, semi-circular lunettes, strapwork and heraldic ornament, the building exemplifies the German Renaissance Revival style of architecture. Also characteristic of tied-houses, the facade includes the insignia of the brewer, in this case the belted globe of the Schlitz brewery.