Killmeyer's Union Hotel

In 1859, Nicholas Killmeyer bought land from Balthasar Kreischer and opened his tavern on Arthur Kill Rd.  In the 1880's, he added a dining room and hotel rooms on the second floor.  Many people today remember the hotel as the Century Inn.

Kreischer Houses

On a rise along Arthur Kill Rd., two identical houses were built for Charles C. and Edward B. Kreischer.  Charles's house (ca. 1886) remains standing today.  It was designated a NYC Landmark in 1968.  Edward's house was demolished in the 1940s.

Charles C. Kreischer Mansion, 2006

Kreischer Brick Works

The Kreischer brick manufactory was an important 19th-century industry that produced a variety of architectural materials.   Built in 1855, the plant was destroyed by fire in 1877 and again in 1892, but quickly rebuilt and back in operation each time.  The business passed out of the Kreischer family in 1899.  The industry closed in 1927 and the remaining buildings and smokestacks were razed in 1936.

1889 ad


Charleston Reformed Church (a/k/a West Baptist Church and Cemetery)

The story of the Charleston Reformed Church is one of three languages and three denominations.  Built in 1847 by the West Baptist congregation (sponsored by the First Baptist Church in Graniteville), it wasn't long before services were held in the German language.

The village was thriving.  German immigrants had come to work in the brick works factory, and, in 1883, Kreischer built a new church nearby on Winant Pl. - St. Peter's German Evangelical Church.  By 1890, Baptist services had stopped completely at West Baptist.  The only activity at the church for a number of years was the Union Sunday School.

By the turn of the century, Hungarians began to settle in Kreischerville and occasional services were held in the Magyar language. In 1918, the Classis of New York of the Reformed Church in America took over St. Peter's and West Baptist, dissolving the German Church.

The West Baptist Church of Kreischerville was formally dissolved in 1927.  Services were conducted by theological students until 1947 when the last pastor, Rev. Charles W. Krahe, was installed.  The Charleston Reformed Church closed its doors permanently in the 1960s.  The building was razed in the 1970s.

A rare view of the church's interior (Gift of Joyce Velten)

Kreischerville Workers' Houses

Built ca. 1890, these four identical two-family houses are the only surviving examples of housing built for local brick factory workers.  The sidewalks are paved with Kreischer brick.  The houses were designated NYC Landmarks in 1994.

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