The Hamm’s Brewery campus and our neighborhood

Before there was Volière and CrowBar, there was Hamm’s Beer. The Hamm’s Brewery campus is one of Saint Paul’s most iconic industrial landmarks, tucked into the valley between Swede Hollow and Dayton’s Bluff on the East Side.

The story begins in 1865, when Theodore Hamm, a German immigrant, took over a small brewery on this site. Over the next century, Hamm’s grew into one of the largest and most successful breweries in the country. By the 1950s, it was producing millions of barrels of beer each year and had become the fifth-largest brewery in the United States.

Hamm’s was also one of the few breweries in the nation that survived Prohibition. During that time, the company pivoted to producing soft drinks, near beer, and other non-alcoholic products to keep its doors open. When Prohibition ended in 1933, Hamm’s quickly returned to brewing and reclaimed its place as one of America’s powerhouse beer brands.

For more than 130 years, Hamm’s was a city within a city. It had its own cooperage, power plant, stables, bottling lines, carpentry shops, blacksmiths, and painters. Generations of Saint Paul residents worked here, and the brewery helped define the identity and economy of the entire East Side.

As ownership changed hands, the brewery continued to evolve. The Hamm’s family eventually sold to the Heublein Company, then to Olympia, and later to Stroh’s Brewing Company. Each new operator kept the beer flowing for a time, but eventually the operations slowed. In 1997, under Stroh’s, the brewery finally closed its doors.

When it did, about 350 local jobs were lost. The site fell quiet, and the surrounding neighborhood felt the impact deeply. For years afterward, the buildings sat vacant and in disrepair. Fires, vandalism, and neglect took their toll on what had once been a thriving industrial community.

But slowly, life has returned inside these red brick walls. 

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The Blacksmith Shop

Volière and CrowBar are located inside what was once the machine, blacksmith, millwright, and paint shop, built around 1911.

This L-shaped brick structure originally connected three separate work areas:

  • The north wing held the machine and plumbing shop
  • The center section housed the blacksmith and wagon shop
  • The south end was used as the paint shop

Everything made of metal or wood that needed repair for the brewery passed through this building. From horse-drawn wagons to metal tanks and bottling equipment, the blacksmiths and machinists here kept the entire operation running.

Many original details still remain: heavy brick walls, steel trusses, tall ceilings, and large windows that once filled the space with daylight for the tradesmen working inside. When you look around CrowBar, you are standing in a building that was once the mechanical heart of the brewery, and now it is home to a new kind of craft and creativity.

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The East Side of Saint Paul

The East Side has always been a working neighborhood. Generations of families made their living through manufacturing, trades, and local industry. The presence of Hamm’s shaped the area’s growth, culture, and sense of community.

Just below the brewery once lay Swede Hollow, a small settlement tucked into the creek valley. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was home to waves of immigrant families including Swedish, Italian, Polish, and Mexican residents who came to Saint Paul seeking opportunity. The homes were modest and hand-built, often without plumbing or electricity, but the community thrived on hard work and shared resilience.

MinnPost illustration by Andy Sturdevant

Swede Hollow represented the immigrant heartbeat of the East Side. It was a place where families made do with little, supported one another, and helped build the labor force that powered Saint Paul’s industry, including Hamm’s Brewery itself.

In 1956, the city declared Swede Hollow uninhabitable, forced the remaining residents to leave, and burned what was left of the homes. For decades, it sat empty, reclaimed by nature. Today it is a quiet, wooded park, a place of reflection and remembrance that connects the East Side’s industrial past with its natural beauty.

The story of Swede Hollow reminds us that this area has always been about people, perseverance, reinvention, and finding a sense of belonging even in the hardest circumstances.

All historical photos courtesy of the Minnesota State Historical Society

Over time, the East Side has become one of the most diverse and culturally rich neighborhoods in Minnesota. Payne-Phalen and Dayton’s Bluff are now home to thriving Hmong, Latino, Black, East African, and Indigenous communities, along with long-time residents whose families have lived here for generations. The mix of cultures, cuisines, languages, and small businesses makes this neighborhood one of the most authentic and dynamic parts of the city.

When we created this concept, it was important for us to build something that reflected that same inclusivity, a space that feels welcoming to everyone. CrowBar was designed to be a gathering place for all people, including artists, neighbors, travelers, locals, and anyone looking for a place that feels real and connected. Hospitality here is not just service, it is belonging.

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