Renner and Weber Brewery, Mansfield Ohio

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The Renner and Weber Brewery was one of few remaining examples of 19^th century industrial architecture in Mansfield and is one of Ohio's dwindling number of brewery structures. At one time there were over 75 breweries in Ohio, by the 1970s there were only 10 and most of these are in modern structures.

Mansfield was a brewing center of north central Ohio from 1850 to the early 1900's. The industry came to the city with early German settlers. Henry Weber arrived in Mansfield about 1860. He was from a family of brewers. Born in Schillingstadt, Germany he begain work in his father's brewery while still a boy. Young Henry came to the U.S. when only 24 and first settled in Pennsylvania and worked in a brewery. After a year he moved to Mansfield and worked at Frank & Eberle Brewery. In 1866 he formed a partnership with Martin Frank (Frank & Eberle) and opened the Union Brewery. That arrangement continued until 1883 when Weber bought out the Reiman & Aberle Brewery with George Renner and the brewery was renamed "Renner & Weber Brewery." The previous firm has existed on 4^th St. since 1855. From that time (1883) great improvements were made in the building and the machinery. By 1900 the brewery had reached its present configuration and was producing 150 barrels of beer a day. Their popular Red Band Lager Beer was brewed until the brewery closed in 1942. The site of the brewery had been chosen because of the existence of the Big Spring which supplied early Mansfield settlers with water. After Renner & Weber enlarged the plant two more wells had to be drilled. Modern machinery and a refrigeration plant were also installed. Renner left Mansfield around 1900 and Weber died in 1910. The brewery was renamed the Eagle Brewery. The brewery operated through W.W. I, reopening after the repeal of the 18^th Amendment, and continued until 1942 when W.W. II made it difficult to get needed new boilers and other equipment. The abandoned buildings sold in 1969 to a buyer whose intentions included a Rathskeller. His plans did not materialize. In 1976 or 1977 the brewery was again sold, and the new owner planned a complex of shops and restaurants.

In 1978 a major fire destroyed the building and it was demolished.