Forgotten Landmark: William J. Lemp Brewing Company Plant, St. Louis (MO)

In 1864, William J. Lemp purchased a five block area around the storage house on 13^th Street and Cherokee Street, and began construction of a complete new brewery. By putting the new facility over the storage caves, moving all the kegs by wagon from their Second Street brewery would no longer be necessary.  The limestone caves were used to control the temperature during the creation of the lager.

By the early 1870’s, Lemp’s Western Brewery was the largest brewery in St. Louis in a field of 30, with E. Anheuser & Company’s Bavarian Brewery coming in second. The brewery was the 19^th largest in the country, producing 61,000 barrels in 1876.[i]