6. H. J. Heinz Company, 925 Bergen Street
A red brick factory in Crown Heights dominates the view of riders on the elevated Franklin Avenue Shuttle. An assortment of brewing companies operated here beginning in the 1860s. Brands that included Rialto, Frankenbrau, Private Stock, and Extra Bohemian were brewed in huge underground lager vaults at near-freezing temperatures. Nassau Brewing Company was the last of the brewers. Competition from Schaeffer, Rheingold, and other New York breweries forced Nassau to close in 1916.
The H. J. Heinz Company moved into the building in about 1920. The food processing company was founded in Pittsburgh by Henry John Heinz in 1869. Heinz has used its “57 Varieties” slogan since 1896. The slogan remains on the facade of the plant. Heinz moved from the factory in the mid-1930s.
Monti Moving & Storage was the last building-wide tenant at the site. “After this Brooklyn building was renovated and split into 25 workspaces,” reported the New York Times in 2007, “it became home in February to artists, woodworkers, film editors, and architects.”
