Mack Brewery retrospect

Ben Dugan
GCN Historical Writer

  Jacob Mack & his brothers came to Central City along with thousands of other miners as part of the Colorado Gold Rush in1859 and set out to establish a life for themselves. Jacob Mack tried his hand at other business ventures before settling on a brewery business. Louis Mack had opened a saloon at the corner of Eureka and Main streets with John Schonecker in 1861. The future of the city had been in doubt in the 1860’s when the placer gold ran out and the miners began running into high-sulphur grade ore. There was no known process for removing the sulphur until Nathaniel Hill, a professor from Rhode Island’s Brown University, traveled to Swansea Wales and analyzed their smelting processes. He returned and with financial backing from the East Coast, set up the Boston and Colorado Smelting Works in 1867. This revived gold mining in Gilpin County and Clear Creek County. Empire, in particular, had been victimized by many dubious fly-by-night salesmen selling their various roasting processes that did not work. Abandoned mills and smelters abounded throughout the Clear Creek Valley.

  After the great Central City fire of 1874 that destroyed most of the business district, there was a period of rebuilding in Central City. In 1877 the Mack brothers decided to start a brewery business for the hard working, thirsty miners. This brewery, built above Central City on Eureka Street, over the years, served local interests as well as Russell Gulch, Apex, Idaho Springs, and Georgetown over in Clear Creek County. There was also a beer garden built within the confines of the brewery. A 15’ long representative painting of King Gambrius holding up a stein of beer greeted patrons of the Beer Garden. The brewery operated for many years but began to struggle in the mid 1890’s due to improved transportation (Colorado Central Railroad and better wagon roads) and a growing brewing industry in Denver. In 1898 and 1899 the brewery was operated as the Columbine Café. This venture failed and the brothers decided to go their separate ways.  Jacob decided to pursue the gold fields near Breckenridge, Louis moved to Denver, and Martin remained with the brewery until his passing, years later. It has been abandoned since then. In the 1980’s this structure was still in relatively good shape. In recent years it has fallen into a state of complete disrepair. The roof has collapsed, the back walls have caved in and it remains in quite a dilapidated state. King Gambrius is now located in the Gilpin County historical museum.

  A new town home community began construction in early 2004 and is located within Central City limits and just east and south of the Mack Brewery. This new community is being planned in four phases and will be built out within the next three to five years.  Stabilization of the Mack Brewery will take place as part of Phase II construction and will be completed in 2005 as units sell out. As part of the renovation efforts the community developers, Prospectors Run LLC, will clean out the debris, build a new back wall and divert the stream currently running through it. The renovation will cost approximately $500,000.