The Hidden History of Railroad St.
97 Railroad St. became home to Rohrbach Brewing Co. in 2009. Before the building was purchased, it served as a haphazard antique market/secondhand store open to the public on Saturdays.
Even in our time here, the building is very different from what it was in the beginning. When Rohrbach first opened this location, craft breweries like ours were only allowed to offer free samples. A small bar sat at the front window where guests could stop in to taste some brews and fill their growlers. Today, our space is much bigger; we have a full wood-fired kitchen, the brewery has changed and expanded, and we’ve even recently added a new private event space.
But before all this, our building lived a lot of life. In the 1900s–1930s, the building was home to the Bantleon Brothers. The family-owned company manufactured doors and interior woodwork. Lumber would be brought to the building via train on the railway behind the building, which still operates today.
The company was started by David Bantleon, who came to the United States as a skilled woodworker and started the company at just 18 years of age. The family built the Railroad St. factory building in 1905. The company also had another downtown location on Water St.
Bantleon Bros. Advertisement; date and source unknown.
The Bantleon Bros. mill factory at 97 Railroad Street. Date and source unknown.
The history of the Bantleon Bros. company can be pieced together through old newspaper clippings we’ve found over the years. Many of these clippings serve as a window into industrial times in Rochester, NY, and reveal the hard times the company experienced, including some unfortunate deaths around the business. All clippings below are sourced from the Democrat & Chronicle.
Today, we like to think the Bantleon family would be proud to see the building so full of life. The hustle and bustle is alive with our hardworking teams and guests enjoying the Public Market District.
We hope you find the history of our Railroad St. building as interesting as we do! Unfortunately, we have not been able to find much information about the building after the Bantleon Bros. closed. History buffs and craft beer lovers… we’re looking to you. Can you help us complete the puzzle of our building’s history?