The difficulty of studying the Lemp Brewery’s architecture is that very few historic photos are still available from the 19th century or the last years before Prohibition. However, this week I had the incredible fortune of viewing a rare and never-before-published panoramic view of the Lemp Brewery from the late 1890s, owned by collector Dan Arbet. We can now see both the demolished buildings and the original buildings on the Lemp property for the first time. Combining these images with newspaper articles and fire insurance maps, we now have more information about William Lemp Sr.’s final decades as president.
Arbet’s panorama photograph shows the brewery’s first grain lift as the first building of interest. The distinctive mansard roof and windowless, clapboard facade are the highlights of this image. A new brick bay connects the grain elevator to the original malthouse, which was built in 1874. According to city records, a permit was obtained for a “1 Story Wood Elevator” which cost $30,000. The elevator’s wood frame meant it was significantly more expensive than brick masonry structures. The new brick bay was composed of a train tunnel which allowed hops and barley to be loaded directly into the elevator. (Note the tower just above the tunnel). It matched the architecture in the malt house.
First, the elevator is made of wood. This seems so incongruous for the Lamps. Second, the Second Empire style of the elevator is not in sync with the Renaissance Revival or Rundbogenstil branding which is typical of the rest. We don’t know what William Lemp Sr. thought. In the 1890s souvenir books, the elevator was still operational. This continued until the construction of Lemp Avenue’s famous fireproof elevator in the early 20th Century.
This is the only photograph of the original Malt House. We also have a better view of the chimneys on the six-story malt Kiln, which I wrote about last week.
Arbet’s panorama photograph does not show the huge stock house that was built around this date. (I am suspicious of the 1885 date often suggested by others. The stock house was likely designed by Theodore Krausch (the master of refrigeration), to fill the gap between his fermenting house, malt kiln, and elevator. As the two architects were in court in 1882, I doubt Edmund Jungenfeld was with Krausch at that time. Although it is possible they agreed, I believe there was still animosity. Although there doesn’t seem to be much fuss in the Western Brewer local newspapers, this stockhouse is crucial for many reasons.
First, it was built without regard for beer refrigeration. It only has one basement floor and doesn’t extend into the ground as was customary in St Louis’ brewing history. Krausch had perfected the machinery and didn’t need the constant temperatures of the ground to keep him warm. Second, as can be seen in satellite images, Krausch’s stock house is further back than his brewhouse. This suggests that the long-term plans for this brewery required a wider gangway between the buildings. This building is considered one of the most modern at the Lemp Brewery. It has a simple interior and a restrained exterior.
The last building on the panorama (see the far right) was a massive barrel wash house. The wash house was built in two phases and was completed in 1897. It accepted empty beer kegs and then filled them with beer. There is also a tunnel connecting the building to the stock house. The International Shoe Company took over the complex in the 1920s and made the washhouse the most modified building. We can see the original window location thanks to the panorama.
The proud building at the top of Potomac Street was the Ice Plant. I strongly believe that it was Krausch who designed it. Although artificial refrigeration was used to cool beer at the brewery, ice was still used in railcars. In the photograph, you can see the cooling towers jutting out above the power station. With its huge vaulted entrance on Broadway, the ice plant almost certainly allowed the lowering of ice block directly into the cars below, just before they left brewery grounds. This was done by the Western Cable Railway, a short-line railroad. In a future post, I will cover more of this.
The 20th century was just beginning, and William Lemp Sr. had one of America’s most successful breweries. His favorite son, Frederick, was growing up to take over the operation of his family business. Buildings grew year by year. The Lemp Brewery would experience tragedy but also a remarkable resilience in the years ahead.
