Tennessee Brewery facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Tennessee Brewery
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Tennessee Brewery
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 Location in Tennessee
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| Location | Memphis, Tennessee |
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| Built | 1890 |
| Architect | E. Jungenfel & Co. |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| NRHP reference No. | 80004482 |
| Added to NRHP | November 25, 1980 |
The Tennessee Brewery building is a historic landmark in Memphis, Tennessee. It stands at the corner of Butler and Tennessee streets. This impressive building overlooks the mighty Mississippi River. It was once home to the Tennessee Brewing Company, a very important company in early beer making.
Contents
History of the Tennessee Brewery
The brewery first opened in 1877. It was called "The Memphis Brewing Company" back then. In 1885, new owners took over. These owners included J. W. Schorr and Casper Koehler. Soon, it grew into one of the biggest breweries of its time.
Early Beers and Production
The first beer made here was a type called Pilsener. In those days, beers were often named after their style. The brewery also made other kinds of beer. An advertisement from 1890 listed styles like Export, Budweiser, and Bavarian. Later, they added new brands such as Columbian Extra Pale and Erlanger.
At its busiest, over 1,500 people worked at the brewery. By 1903, it was making 250,000 barrels of beer each year. This made it the largest brewery in the southern United States.
The Prohibition Era and Reopening
The brewery had to stop making beer during the Prohibition Era. This was a time when making and selling alcohol was against the law. After Prohibition ended, J. W. Schorr's son, John Schorr, reopened the plant.
The brewery quickly started making beer again. Their most famous beer for many years was "Goldcrest". After 1938, it was called "Goldcrest 51". This name honored the company's more than 51 years in business. Goldcrest 51 was sold in bottles until 1947, when they started using cans. The brewery even reused bottles until it closed in 1954.
The Brewery Building Today
The main brewery building was built in 1890. It looks much the same today as it did back then. A bottling plant was added to the building later, in 1938. There have been ideas to turn the building into apartments or shops. However, these plans did not happen for a long time.
The Tennessee Brewery Today
The Tennessee Brewery building has seen a lot of changes recently. In 2014, a special event called "Untapped" was held there. This event brought new attention to the old brewery.
New Life for the Old Building
Because of the "Untapped" event, a developer named Billy Orgel bought the building. He bought it in 2014 for $825,000. Another event, called "Revival," happened in 2015. After that, work began to transform the building.
The building is now owned by "495 Tennessee LLC." It has been changed into modern apartments. You can now reserve units to live in this historic building.
Images for kids
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Goldcrest
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Goldcrest 51
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Pilsener
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Pearl of Memphis
