Kips Bay Brewing Company
Kips Bay Brewing Company was a Manhattan neighborhood brewery that operated from 1894 until 1947 and whose surviving buildings were later adapted for offices, medical uses, and housing.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Kips Bay Brewing Company was a local brewery in Manhattan, New York City, established by Irish immigrant Patrick Skelly. The brewery opened in 1894 on First Avenue between East 37th and East 38th Streets, beside the neighborhood from which it took its eventual name. It was initially known as the Patrick Skelly Brewery, but Skelly renamed it Kips Bay Brewing Company in 1895. The business developed on a site with a longer brewing history. In 1892, Skelly acquired the former Kips Bay Malt House at the southeast corner of First Avenue and East 38th Street. The six-story brick malt house had previously been associated with brewers Simon Bernheimer and David Jones. The property included substantial First Avenue and East 38th Street frontages as well as waterfront access on the East River, a useful logistical advantage when Manhattan breweries received malt and hops by barge. Plans for a brewery and stock house at 648–650 First Avenue were prepared in 1892, and maps from the late nineteenth century show the complex expanding southward toward East 37th Street. Additional construction and alterations followed, including work attributed to J. B. Snook & Sons. Unlike the large breweries that distributed widely across New York and beyond, Kips Bay Brewing Company was primarily a neighborhood operation. Its beer was sold through an on-site taproom and nearby restaurants and saloons, with deliveries made locally by horse-drawn wagons. The company therefore served a concentrated Manhattan market rather than operating as a major regional or national brand. A major disaster struck on January 25, 1905, when a fire began in the malt house's fourth-floor grinding room. The blaze required a large response involving fire engines, ladder trucks, and fireboats. Water used to extinguish the fire saturated approximately 115,000 bushels of grain and malt, adding substantial weight to the structure and causing portions of the building to crack and collapse. A thick dividing wall and firefighting efforts prevented the fire from spreading into the adjacent brewery. Patrick Skelly died in 1908, after which control passed to his son Hugh Skelly. Hugh served as president until his death in 1943. The brewery's later history was shaped by Prohibition. In 1928, federal agents raided the facility and found that beer containing approximately five percent alcohol was being produced and moved out through garage doors disguised with brickwork and imitation utility pipes. The government seized the beer and brewing equipment, and the brewery ceased operations during the remainder of the enforcement period. Following the repeal of Prohibition, the business reopened in 1934 and continued brewing until 1947. The company itself is defunct, but its industrial buildings survived. The former brewery structures at 650 and 660 First Avenue are among only two surviving groups of brewery buildings in Manhattan associated with the city's former brewing industry, the other being the former Yuengling complex on the Upper West Side. Their French Second Empire-style copper-clad mansard cupolas were distinctive architectural features. After brewing ended, the buildings were converted to offices. CARE used 660 First Avenue as its United States headquarters from 1953 to 1993, and the building later became medical office space connected to the nearby NYU Langone Health district. The former 650 First Avenue building also became medical office space before a later residential redevelopment. In 2023, Lalezarian Properties acquired 650 First Avenue and proposed an interior conversion with a four-story addition, producing 111 apartments, including designated affordable units. Thus, although the beer brand disappeared in 1947, the physical legacy of Kips Bay Brewing Company remains part of Manhattan's industrial and architectural history.
History
Kips Bay Brewing Company emerged during the period when brewing was one of Manhattan's important industrial activities. Patrick Skelly, an Irish brewer, acquired the former Kips Bay Malt House at a trustee's auction in March 1892. The property stood at the southeast corner of First Avenue and East 38th Street and included waterfront access to the East River. The malt house had previously been connected with brewers Simon Bernheimer and David Jones, giving Skelly a site with existing industrial associations and useful access for receiving raw materials. Architectural plans prepared in September 1892 called for a brewery and stock house at 648–650 First Avenue. By 1899, maps showed that the facilities had expanded south along First Avenue toward East 37th Street. Further alterations and additions were undertaken around the turn of the century, including projects associated with Lederle & Co. and J. B. Snook & Sons. The brewery opened in 1894 under the Patrick Skelly name, and Skelly adopted the Kips Bay Brewing Company name in 1895, linking the business to its Manhattan neighborhood. The company was structured as a neighborhood brewery rather than a large-scale distribution enterprise. Its beer was consumed at the brewery's taproom and sold to nearby restaurants and saloons. Local deliveries were made by horse-drawn wagons, and the company did not distribute its beer outside Manhattan. This limited geography distinguished it from larger New York breweries that used the East River for broader shipments of malt, hops, and finished beer. On January 25, 1905, the complex experienced a serious fire. The fire began in the fourth-floor grinding room of the malt house and developed into a three-alarm incident. Twelve fire engines, four ladder trucks, and three fireboats responded. Firefighting water was absorbed by approximately 115,000 bushels of grain and malt stored on the upper floors. The additional weight caused walls facing First Avenue and East 38th Street to crack and collapse. The adjacent brewery survived because a substantial dividing wall and the fire department's response contained the blaze. Patrick Skelly died in 1908. His son Hugh then assumed control and served as company president until his death in 1943. The most disruptive period came during national Prohibition. In 1928, federal agents raided the facility and found that beer with roughly five percent alcohol was being manufactured. The beer was allegedly moved out through garage doors made to look like ordinary masonry and disguised with imitation steam and water pipes. Authorities seized the beer and brewing equipment, ending the brewery's operations for the remainder of the Prohibition period. After Prohibition was repealed, Kips Bay Brewing Company reopened in 1934. It remained active until 1947, when brewing at the site ended permanently. The buildings themselves continued to survive and were adapted to non-brewing uses. The two principal structures, 650 and 660 First Avenue, became offices. Their large floor plates and limited windows later proved suitable for medical offices because of their proximity to hospitals and physicians. CARE occupied 660 First Avenue as its United States headquarters from 1953 to 1993 before relocating to Atlanta. The building subsequently became associated with the nearby NYU Langone Health medical district. The former brewery complex is architecturally significant because it is one of only two surviving groups of brewery structures in Manhattan dating from the era when brewing was a major city industry. The other surviving group is the former Yuengling complex on the Upper West Side. Both former Kips Bay buildings retained distinctive copper-clad mansard cupolas in the French Second Empire style, although later redevelopment altered the appearance of 650 First Avenue. In March 2023, Lalezarian Properties acquired 650 First Avenue and pursued a residential conversion. The project redesigned the interior, added four stories, and used more than 11,000 square feet of glass in the upper addition. The completed plan provided 111 apartments, 28 of them designated as affordable housing. The redevelopment illustrates the transition of the former brewery from industrial production to office, medical, and residential use while preserving the site as a surviving physical marker of Manhattan's brewing history.
- 2023
Former brewery building acquired for residential redevelopment
[1]Lalezarian Properties acquired 650 First Avenue and planned a conversion adding four stories and 111 apartments, including affordable units.
- 1953
CARE establishes its United States headquarters at 660 First Avenue
[1]The former brewery building began a long period of office use when CARE moved its United States headquarters there.
- 1947
Brewing operations end
[1]Kips Bay Brewing Company ceased operations, ending the site's use as a brewery.
- 1934
Brewery reopens after Prohibition
[1]The company resumed brewing following the repeal of Prohibition.
- 1928
Federal seizure during Prohibition
[1]Federal agents raided the brewery, found beer production exceeding Prohibition limits, and seized the beer and brewing equipment.
- 1908
Hugh Skelly takes control
[1]Following Patrick Skelly's death, his son Hugh became the brewery's principal leader and later served as president.
- 1905
Malt-house fire
[1]A major fire damaged the malt house and caused portions of its walls to collapse after stored grain and malt absorbed firefighting water.
- 1895
Business adopts the Kips Bay name
[1]Patrick Skelly renamed the business Kips Bay Brewing Company after the adjacent Manhattan neighborhood.
- 1894
Brewery opens
[1]The brewery began operations on First Avenue under the name associated with its founder, Patrick Skelly.
- 1892
Patrick Skelly acquires the former Kips Bay Malt House
[1]Skelly purchased the six-story malt-house property at First Avenue and East 38th Street at a trustee's auction, obtaining a site with substantial street frontage and East River access.
Products and positioning
A neighborhood Manhattan brewery focused on serving nearby taproom customers, restaurants, and saloons rather than distributing beer beyond the local area.
Beer · 1894
Kips Bay beer
The company produced beer for local Manhattan consumption. Available reference material does not identify named brands, recipes, or specific styles. Its principal route to market was the brewery taproom, nearby restaurants and saloons, and local delivery by horse-drawn wagons rather than broad regional distribution.
Controversies
1928
Prohibition-era illegal beer production
Federal agents raided the brewery after discovering that beer containing approximately five percent alcohol was being produced and removed from the facility through concealed exits. Authorities seized the beer and brewing equipment, and the brewery was shut down during Prohibition.
Brand decisions
2023
Convert 650 First Avenue from medical offices to housingOtherBackground
The former brewery building had already been adapted for office and medical-office use after brewing ended.
Action taken
Lalezarian Properties acquired the building and planned an interior residential conversion with a four-story addition.
Aftermath
The redevelopment plan provided 111 apartments, including 28 designated affordable units, while substantially changing the historic building's upper profile.
Purchase price. $33.5 million (March 2023)
1934
Resume brewing after ProhibitionStrategyBackground
The brewery had been shut down after a 1928 federal raid and seizure of its brewing equipment.
Action taken
The company reopened following the repeal of Prohibition.
Aftermath
Operations continued for approximately thirteen more years before the brewery closed permanently in 1947.
1895
Rename the brewery for the Kips Bay neighborhoodStrategyBackground
The business originally operated under the Patrick Skelly name after opening in 1894.
Action taken
Patrick Skelly changed the business name to Kips Bay Brewing Company, associating it with its Manhattan location.
Aftermath
The Kips Bay name became the enduring identity of the brewery and its surviving industrial buildings.
Sources1 sources
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