Bajus Brewery - History

A brewery was first built on this site in 1794, purchased by Philip Wenz in 1826 then joined in business by his nephew Jacob Bajus, whose name the business was known by. In operation until 1922, the current 1835 stone structure replaced an original wooden structure that was torn down to make way for the construction of Wellington and Bay Sts. Stone additions were built in 1857 and 1861, designed by noted local architect William Coverdale. After the brewery ceased operation, the building was used as warehouse space for local businesses and residential space, currently known as The Bajus [Place Condominiums] that were added in 1986. My photo (top) was taken in April, 1980.

At the March, 2019 Associated Railroaders of Kingston meeting, I was pleased to meet Courtney Matheson Mahoney. Courtney's office at Malroz Engineering Environmental Scientists and Engineers is actually located in The Bajus! Courtney kindly provided an architectural appraisal and photos of this historic building. I'm looking forward to touring and learning more! 

Interestingly, Courtney pointed out that barrels and supplies were 'rolled' out of the building and across Wellington Street to the Grand Trunk freight shed trackage. Now, that is cool. Along with the 'cheese tunnel' located under Ontario Street to the K&P/CP, it's important to remember that not every industry had its own railway spur. There are other ways to load and unload freight cars! No doubt the GTR cornered the market on use of their freight shed team tracks, and was responsible for ordering and billing cars used by shippers/consignees - for a fee.

Thank you, Courtney for reminding me that there is so much more to learn! And I have. This revamped post now merges two existing posts with additional information I've found in my research.

In 1982, an old brewery stands neglected at the top end of Wellington Street. Once surrounded by the bustle of Kingston’s harbourfront, it’s now flanked by warehouses and few small businesses. Burnt timbers poke their charred heads out between the stones. Pigeons flap and roost around the beams. When this part of town buzzed with activity, this was the largest of Kingston’s many breweries. Steam whistles from boats and factories, and the smells from local industries filled the air. Today the brewery stands empty.

Streetnames in the area changed over the years. Letter Street became Brewery Street, later Rideau Street. Quarry Street became Wellington Street. Property and houses lived in by the Bajus family are now bounded by Bay, Wellington, Ordnance and Rideau Streets. In November, 1856 a bylaw was passed to widen Wellington Street to a full width of 66 feet to its then-new termination at Bay Street.

Philip Bajus took over the operation of the brewery in the 1860’s, upon the retirement of his father, Jacob. Jacob had joined his uncle Philip Wenz in operating the brewery in the late 1820’s. The lives of the members of the Bajus family were intertwined with the life of the brewery. Children helped with their livestock and carried logs to stoke the steam boilers.  Most men in the family worked as brewers. The Bajus family name remains connected with the building to this day. 

As modern industrialization spread, the brewery increased both its manpower and its production. Five men with a total payroll of $1,924 were employed, according to 1871 census documents. Sales of ale and porter that year were 57,000 gallons. The brewery even operated a wharf across the street. In 1885, all of the Bajus property across Wellington Street was sold to Samuel Anglin for his waterfront lumberyard operation.

The storm sewers on Ordnance Street were a source of complaint, with cellars subject to floods of up to two feet in basements in the spring. Though long advocating for a walkway, a new boardwalk was built in front of the brewery in 1889, with a request for an electric light placed before the city in 1891. Until electrification, ice needed for cooling was cut from the bay in winter and stored below ground level in the brewery buildings.

The Jacob Bajus homestead house was at today’s address of 69 Rideau Street. Grace Bajus, widowed upon Philip’s death in 1893 lived at 47/51 Rideau Street. This house no longer stands, and was located at the site of the Rideau Street Canadian Tire store. The operation of the brewery was in Grace Bajus’ hands until 1922, closing abruptly in 1923 with the rise of Prohibition. Sold to the Anglin family, it was used as a warehouse and for furniture and lumber storage, with the Michea and Jackson auto body and paint shop occupying one of the original buildings in the 1940’s and 1950’s. A destructive fire in September, 1974 destroyed the second storey of the central section.\

The brewery buildings, especially the limestone brewhouse towers, with barrels inset in the masonry, dominated this part of the city’s skyline until the late 19th-century. Local, provincial and federal heritage agencies studied the site and its suitability for preservation. Other interested parties requested demolition permits! The brewery lot, large stone houses, humble cottages and limestone sheds are examples of Kingston’s lost industrial world still standing. Only the height of the Macdonald-Cartier (OHIP) building in 1983 overshadowed its dominance.

I'll include photos of the Bajus Brewery in this section:

Don McQueen photos, 1981

Undated (above) and artwork (below) from Vintage Kingston Facebook group:

Comparing the old and the new, that is. My recent photo from a Wellington Street ramble:

And this earlier photo taken on May 21, 1961 (Queen's University Archives, George Lilley fonds, V25.5-34-151 )when Anglin's building were still visible (at right) and Rideau Terrace hadn't yet got its own streetsign. Much of the pole-mounted infrastructure has since been put somewhere else.

Where are we, Tuscany? This was formerly an upper-storey loading door, flanked by beer barrels. The twelve-star staybolts are notable below:

Casky close-up:

And the twelve stars became a marketing tool, giving Bajus' Twelve-Star Lager its name. I believe this was advertised on the loading door, where in 1964, vestiges of the word 'Lager' are still visible, painted on the boards:

Twelve Star Lager is perpetuated by Stone City Ales in one of their session ales: