On an unassuming block of Lytle Street in Hazelwood, a building that has witnessed more than a century of Pittsburgh history finally found its purpose again. The Hazelwood Brew House opened its doors earlier this month, debuting two of the three craft breweries that will call the 20,000-square-foot, four-story landmark home, with a third close behind.
New France Brewing Company was first through the door on June 12, followed the next day by Abstract Realm Brewing Company. Both have set up independent brewing operations on the ground floor of the historic structure, with Bonafide Beer Co., which already operates a taproom in the Strip District, expected to complete the trio shortly. Together, they offer three distinct bars, a shared taproom for 225 guests, a half-acre backyard beer garden, and a rooftop deck with sweeping views of Downtown Pittsburgh.
The building's story goes back well before any of its current tenants were born. Constructed in 1905 for the original Hazelwood Brewing Company, the structure operated through the early twentieth century before Prohibition shut it down in 1920. Derby Brewing Co. briefly revived it after the 18th Amendment was repealed, but the building eventually fell vacant, its brick walls silent for decades. It earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places, but for years that designation was cold comfort for a neighborhood watching the site gather dust.
That changed in 2017, when The Progress Fund, a Greensburg-based community development nonprofit, purchased the property. Dave Kahley, the organization's president and CEO, had long believed in the power of breweries as neighborhood anchors rather than simple party destinations. He had helped a dozen local breweries get off the ground over his career and saw in the Hazelwood building something worth saving. Renovations began in 2019, backed by a coalition of funders including the R.K. Mellon Foundation, the Heinz Endowments, the Benedum Foundation, First National Bank, and Pennsylvania's Department of Community and Economic Development.
The three breweries bring distinct identities to the shared space. New France Brewing Company takes its name from Fort Duquesne, the French outpost built at the confluence of Pittsburgh's three rivers in 1754, the very settlement that would eventually grow into the city. Co-founders Tom Marshall and Nick Jones, who met while Jones was running the now-closed beer bar 99 Bottles in Carnegie, have built their identity around fermentation science, manipulating yeast and bacteria strains to develop flavors that go well beyond the expected. Abstract Realm Brewing, helmed by head brewer Chris Carr, a chemist by training, and co-founder Jason Short, promises a rotating draft list anchored by quality ingredients and an ever-shifting selection that gives regulars a reason to return. The name, they say, means "boundless identity." Bonafide Beer Co. rounds out the trio with approachable, sessionable styles alongside barrel-aged offerings, bridging the gap between craft enthusiasts and casual drinkers.
Each brewery operates its own 10-barrel brewhouse on the ground floor, with independent service windows opening onto the beer garden. Customers can purchase merchandise and canned beer to go, or head upstairs to the shared third-floor taproom, where all three bars operate under the same roof. A kitchen run by a local catering company anchors the food side of the experience. The businesses share a canning line and all use Alpha Brewing equipment, a practical arrangement that Kahley says fosters cooperation without sacrificing each brand's individual character.
A New Anchor for Hazelwood
The significance of the opening extends beyond the beer. Hazelwood, a South Pittsburgh neighborhood bounded by the Monongahela River, has for years watched neighboring communities like Hazelwood Green, the massive former industrial site now being developed into a mixed-use innovation district, attract headlines and investment. The Brew House arrival signals that the neighborhood's historic commercial corridor is ready for its own moment. Residents and local organizations have been active supporters of the project from its early stages, and Kahley has spoken openly about wanting the taproom to function as a genuine community gathering space, not simply a destination for visitors from other parts of the city.
The Hazelwood Brew House is open Wednesday through Sunday. All three breweries operate together, allowing visitors to sample from each in a single trip. For Pittsburgh, a city with an already strong craft beer culture, the opening adds a singular destination with a physical history most taprooms simply cannot replicate. The building survived Prohibition, outlasted industrial decline, and held its place on the National Register of Historic Places through decades of vacancy. Now, at last, it is open for business.