The
majority of the Brewery's remaining structures are vacant, and most have
not been significantly altered since the brewery closed in 1997. Memos,
calendars, locker contents, files, and many other "artifacts" largely
remain in their original context, disturbed only by raccoons, the elements,
and the final sweep of the former Stroh's employees before the complex
was abandoned years ago.
Unlike most abandoned buildings, which are mere
shells that once held businesses and institutions, the structures at Hamm's
were as intregal to the business as the machinery was. They were built
not just to protect their contents from Ma Nature, but also as functioning
elements of the brewing process. This is why, unlike a hospital, military
complex, or other multi-building site, it has proven essentially impossible
to find new uses for the Brewery's buildings. |