The Nashville Brewery was founded by Jacob Stiefel on this location in 1859. After the Civil War, the brewery had various owners until it was rebuilt by Christian Moerlein and William Gerst in 1890. Renamed the William Gerst Brewing Co in 1893, it brewed until the start of Prohibition. William Gerst died in 1933, the year Prohibition ended, but his four sons resumed operation using the popular 'Brewed in Dixie' slogan. The brewery closed in 1954 due to national competition.