Goldcrest Beer was Brewed here until 1954

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The present Tennessee Brewery was built in 1890, and is a reflection of the prosperity and growth enjoyed by local breweries in many American cities during that period. The founder, J. B. Schorr, was the son of a German family associated with brewing before they migrated to the United States. The Tennessee Brewing Company began operations in Memphis in 1885. In 1890, the company's growth had necessitated refurbishing and enlarging the brewery facilities, giving it its present appearance. The financial growth of the brewery continued until the enactment of state prohibition legislation in 1909, halting the massive local sales. In 1920, national prohibition legislation halted out-of-state sales of beer, and after a few years of producing near-beer, the business was forced to close its operations.

In 1933, J. B. Schorr purchased the facility from the Tennessee Brewing Company, and after the building and machinery were refurbished under the direction of architect Joe T. Wallace, the facility re-opened as the Memphis Brewing Company, producing Goldcrest beer. In 1938, the brand name was changed to Goldcrest 51 to celebrate the company's fifty-first year of operation. The business remained successful until 1954, when growing national competition and rising costs and taxes forced its closing. The facility has been used since 1956 for a scrap metals business and is now being purchased for redevelopment and restoration.

The design of the facilities adds an outstanding richness and character to the city's built environment. The Richardsonian Romanesque complex of buildings, occupying a prominent position on the river bluffs, has long played an important role in the city's skyline. The Brewery's architecture has been the subject of many articles and studies concerning the downtown area, and the structure and its association with industrial development and brewing have been not only highly visible, but also the object of a great deal of public concern.

Building Description

The Tennessee Brewery is located at 477 Tennessee Street facing east between Butler and Calhoun Streets. The Brewery sits on a bluff overlooking Riverside Drive and the Mississippi River to the west. The surrounding area is industrial and warehouse.

The Brewery has an irregular external organization of windows and ornamental treatment that reflects the functional design of the interior, as dictated by the brewing apparatus. The west facade has four distinct sections, each organized differently yet held together visually through the use of materials and stylistic features of Richardsonian Romanesque. The basic exterior materials are red brick with cyclopean rusticated stone at the base floor and smooth white limestone trim at various points of accent. Wall openings with deep reveals are in multiple sizes, some segmentally arched, some linteled and some round-arched. Corbelling is used extensively for water tables, and ornate fleur-de-lis tie rod anchors can be seen on the exterior.

The south section is four stories in height and approximately 53 feet wide. The lower floor is rusticated halfway up and contains two semicircular rusticated stone arches. Inside the archways, are wooden windows and a doorway (in the north arch). A stone water table separates the first and second floors. The second and third floor is visually joined by grouping the windows under four arches that extend over both floors. Segmented spandrils separate the second and third-floor windows within their archways. The fourth floor has very ornate corbelling, stone arches, and an arcaded, corbelled cornice rising above the roof line.

The south-central section (or tower) is approximately 20 feet wide and is the tallest section rising to six stories. The first floor is fully rusticated with one large semi-circular arched opening that extends through the structure. Above the arch is a large white limestone plaque with 1890 carved in relief. The second floor has three windows segmentally arched and divided horizontally with white stone transoms. A stone belt course separates the second and third floors. The third and fourth floors are visually joined under three arches extending over both floors. Windows of each floor are separated by segmentally arched brick spandrils within the arches. The fifth and sixth floors are joined in a similar arrangement of arches. The roof of this section has an ornate stepped and corbelled parapet.

The north central section is four stories in height and approximately 27 feet wide. The first floor is partly rusticated and has two arched brick openings. The second floor has four segmentally arched windows with stone transoms. The third and fourth floors are visually joined by two archways that extend over the length of the two floors. The roof has an ornate stepped parapet.

The north section is six stories and approximately 51 feet wide. The first floor is partially rusticated with two brick segmentally arched openings. (The south opening contains a doorway. The north opening has been bricked in.) A concrete loading dock extends out from this section. The second and third floors contain two small arched openings partially bricked in. The fourth floor has a row of six segmentally arched windows. The fifth and sixth floors are visually joined by arches extending over the windows of both floors. This section is much less ornate than the other three sections.

The south side of the brewery was originally highly very visible and was therefore given special attention. It can be divided into four sections. The east section (brew house) is very similar to the south section of the west facade except for the two first-floor arches; they are of brick. The rustication on this floor extends only slightly above the base. Also, the fourth-floor windows are lintelled instead of arched. Otherwise, the organization matches the west facade (south section). The east central section is two stories in height with one large semicircular arch on the first floor and one large segmentally arched window on the second. The west central section is three stories in height. The first floor has two large semicircular arches. The second and third floors are joined by three semicircular arches that extend from below the second floor to the top of the third. Windows are separated by deeply recessed brick spandrilles. The west section (boiler room) is one tall story in height. There are four blind arches (one originally contained a doorway).

In plan, the building is U-shaped around a covered loading court that can be entered through a tunnel under the tower.

The east elevation can be divided into four masses reflecting the four sections of the west facade. However, this elevation is much less ornate than the west facade and much of it has been stuccoed over.

The interior of the brewery consists of multiple floor levels (approximately sixteen) with floor-to-ceiling heights varying from eleven to twenty-two feet. Cast iron columns are used throughout the interior as are cast iron stairway railings and other apparatus. The south section (brew house) has a large skylight through which several floors are lighted.

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