HOW do I research a Structure?

Well, I use Google a lot and often check out all the photos I can find.  After that, I apply some creativity: I don't try to reproduce the building exactly, but instead try to build something that just looks like it, and fits the space I have.

Oh, boy..I have spent time in historical societies, often staffed by docents with one

track minds, the ones tunnel visioned on a Civil War General I especially remember, trying to track anything on breweries whose vacant lots I stood on.  The library in

Altoona should be able to direct you to the historical society (which may have weird

hours), but ask the librarian and maybe you will get directed to a library historical file, or the hist. soc., or maybe to the Altoona RR Museum or to some other source.  I

spent all day in a library going through old news film tapes trying to find photos of

the opposite end of a grain elevator that had been destroyed by fire in the 1950's, so

good luck.

 

http://www.historicaerials.com/

if they have your area, you can get measurements on the building footprint. I did a quick search on this site, but didn't have a good address that the brewery was located. Awesome picture though-

My experience is that contacting the companies involved is a waste of time.  It its old and the company is even still in business they don't care or have the time.  You might try a local historical society or, strange as it seems, just ask older folks int he community if they know someone whose Dad or Mom worked there, etc. way back when.  In this way i found several people who knew about an old train station in colorado i wanted to model.

From the photo you have a good start. The vehicle has a known size, so you can get some o the measurements from that.  I have found the Smithsonian collection to have lots of old structures and railroad related information.

http://siarchives.si.edu/collections

 

Also check your state universtiy library. Its free to use and most have historical archives

By using the website I linked, I was able to get a footprint measurement for our local depot as well as our clay tile factory. It is free online info- no need to contact anyone else. I am lucky, as it has a 1952 view, 1971 and 2006 views. It showed our center of town, with the baseball diamond in a different location that everyone forgot about. 

Generallly, Lee is right...however, three times I encountered large corporations with

public relations offices and people who were very helpful,  Unfortunately, one of them

after I contacted, I found another source, and canceled their involvment.  Now I need

more info about another project and that company has merged into another.  In one case, Proctor and Gamble, had operated their own built or ordered freight cars which were not the normal forty foot boxcar, so I could not pursue that project.  They were very helpful, and earned my good will.  Unfortunately, what you are dealing with here

is a small, defunct enterprise that probably does not have a surviving building you

can go photo.  One other suggestion:  When I was researching one brewery, I found

that the people who had recently started a micobrewery with the same name had done

some homework and had knowledge of the old one.  I noted such a microbrewery in

Altoona.

   Go to www.psu.edu search for sanborn fire maps, on index page look up altoona brewing it's in the specials section on the right of the index page, go to the page its on on the year you are looking at you should be able to get the measurements for its foot print using the scale at the bottom of the page.

      Another thing you can try is google Library Of Congress /digital collections/historic newspapers. I don't know if there any Altoona papers listed but if there are you could try Altoona brewing in advanced search,  or any paper close to Altoona. 

  Try google books too you can sometimes find articles and construction plans in old books and magazines narrow your search from say 1820-1922 (it was built before 1888 as it's on that fire map) there are magazines, books, and government publications in this range for Altoona brewing.  Always click the more editions google only returns one edition per library unless you click on it. After 1922 if it's not available as an e-book you will need to click on( Get this book in print) on the left side of the page to find a hard copy in a library.  Almost everything after this date is under copyright and not available to read on the internet.

  Good luck in your search

  Galon Tonell

Correction you will need to be looking for Germania brewery look at the name on the office in your photo Altoona brewing must have bought or took it over  after 1909

  Galon Tonell

Lee is right, I am building a layout based on the Chicago-Indiana Calumet Region in the 1950's, a downsized version of Dearborn Station is to be scratch built some pictures are available on the internet, to try to model all yard tracks and surrounding structures will take up a large area, the headhouse and shed will be similar to the actual structures. The main issue is the length of the passenger trains coupled with the required switches and lead and storage tracks.

Back in 1997 when I began my line of modular building card stock drawings I had the same problem you are now facing. How to capture a building for modeling purposes. While my approach may not be the best it certainly worked out well for me.

 

The following is my combination of tasks.

 

I begin by photographing the entire structure.

With my wife's help we measure the building horizontally and sketch significant point such as door and window edges, Also any column, or features.

 

I then go back and measure and photograph each type of window or door  or unique feature. for height and structure. A building may have 40 individual windows with only 5 being a unique design and size.

 

I then measure all the common features such as the brick work. I note the size of an individual brick, and a width of 10 bricks in a row and the height of 4 or 5 rows.

The latter helps me keep the correct scale.

 

For elevation I count bricks, clapboards or shingles.  For stone work I use a measuring pole and photograph it against the building. The following photo shows an 8ft module I created for my trolley layout of a pair of college dorm buildings at Yale University in New Haven CT.  In this photo my wife is holding up the pole against the building and I am standing in the street taking the photograph.

We previously measured a collection of individual large, medium and small stone.

In this case I had to measure the building for size but also model the stone work patterns. To accurately measure the height I had to correctly compensate for the vertical distortion of the photographs. The next photo highlight my wife holding up my measuring stick while I dodge traffic to take photos. With this information I was able to fairly accurately measure the height of the building.

 

 

 

 

I also did several other things. I went to the Yale art/architecture school and library to see if anyone had plans for the building that I could reference. Other sources I tap are the building owners, city planning departments, etc.

 

Next I try to arrange a visit to the buildings maintenance department to see if I can get a visit and tour of the interior. Seeing how the interior is divided and the interior of the outside walls are created is a great benefit in replicating the outer walls and understand the structure of the building.

 

 

The state of PA historical archives may be another source. Difficult to search, but a lot is indexed, once you grasp the search parameters.

 

If found this link, Tavern Trove, which indicates the brewery may have been built around 1850, by Enzbrenner.

 

perhaps, John P. Kazmaier, of Hollidaysburg, relative of brewer in the 1900's, could help with some photos or such.

 

I received hits on "Historical American Engineering Record" which has a lot of research on Altoona.

 

Finally, the Altoona tax assessor's office and their map and deed books.

New Haven Trolleys that is an excellent description of how to measure a building.  Very cool card stock buildings, too!

Lee may have touched on this.But I have to ask.Why does everybody in the free world think that "research"is limited to an internet connection?Get out there...knock on doors..find out where the old timers hang out. get to know them.They will be glad your interested.Listen to there stories.There is a whole library of un tapped knowledge still alive out there.I know a few will agree.Nick

Yes - rockstars1989 is right!  And my experience is that people are very happy to share what they know - show you old photos, talk to you about when the old RR station was being built when they were a kid, etc., etc..  The stories are interesting in themselves . . . 

 

And local musemms - go visit and ask.  I have never seen a musuem that doesn't half twice as much stuff not on display as on . . . and the staff love to be helpful - most of them will go way out of their way to help someone interested in what they have or may have.   Nearly every little community has a "museum" - I found what I wanted on an old RR yard and structure in Trinidad Co from the local museum (run, it turned out, by a lady who was a distant relative!).  

I like this Idea!!!

You guys find some good details of a old time Brewery and I will tool it

up and make in kit form of high quality.

  Bob

   Altoonamodelworks. 

In the meantime Bob, how about Boyer's Candies a hometown favorite! Also the pre-1940's Rose Tower/crew change building!

There is great pleasure in doing a building you remember/that actually existed.  I plan to get the forthcoming Woodland Scenics grocery store when it comes out and bash it lightly into the one that was half a block away from where I lived when I was in kindergarten.  I plan to do no research - I can close my eyes and see it.  I realize 60 year old memories play tricks on a person, but I want to model it as I remember, not as actually was.