Magnolia Brewery Building At 110 Milam St.

[travelguy_73]

As you travel eastbound on I-10, just before the McKee/Hardy exit, you will see this intriguing structure. I have passed by it a hundred times, but today decided I want (need!) to know more about it. The address is 110 Milam (next to Toc Bar) and, according to HCAD, it was built in 1890. It says it a commercial structure, and the storefront looks like a gallery, but all that glass on the back says "home" to me (I would take a picture of it at night, but don't want to infringe on the owner's privacy). Looking at the sides, it appears to have been part of a larger structure at some point.

Can any of my fellow HAIF'ers add some detail about the structure, what is used to be, and what it is now?

http://static.flickr.com/28/100229739_08aa425932.jpg

The walled off area (I think) is made of plexiglas, and hides a car pad.

This one was taken from just across the bayou near the post office. The windows overlook the post office.

http://static.flickr.com/38/100229740_734d9c5a18.jpg

[Subdude]

This is the Dixon building. It is part of what remains from the old Magnolia Brewery complex. It was used for cold storage and was later sold to the Dixon Packing Company. I've also wondered what the upstairs is used for, if anything. Obviously the building has suffered a bit of damage over the years.

[RedScare]

I don't know it's history per se, but it was a shell of a building for a long time. The back of the building had crumbled and the interior, including the roof, was gone. Approximately 5 years ago, the front facade was redone, but the interior was left alone. More recently, in the last 3 years or so, lofts were built inside the shell.

The glass wall and the steel staircases were added as part of the renovation. What it was in it's previous life, I do not know.

[travelguy_73]

I don't know it's history per se, but it was a shell of a building for a long time. The back of the building had crumbled and the interior, including the roof, was gone. Approximately 5 years ago, the front facade was redone, but the interior was left alone. More recently, in the last 3 years or so, lofts were built inside the shell.

The glass wall and the steel staircases were added as part of the renovation. What it was in it's previous life, I do not know.

OK, so it is at least partially housing now, that is very cool. I would love to see the inside. There are so many cool buildings downtown that have loft potential. Not the usual suspects like Bayou, Franklin, Hermann, etc., but conversions of just a few floors in an otherwise commercial building.

[RedScare]

A little more info.

http://www.scottarnoldpc.com/ai/properties.htm

Scroll towards the bottom of the page.

And from the BizJournal...

"Offices become home in ultimate conversion

Downtown drivers probably have been intrigued by the sight of a four-story building on Milam near Commerce undergoing a major renovation over the past few weeks.

It turns out that the structure is an old office building that's being converted into a single-family dwelling for a media-shy resident.

The future domicile, which sits on the outskirts of downtown by Buffalo Bayou, is surrounded by nightclubs and law offices.

The owner seems to be dropping a lot of cash on the 10,000-square-foot building at 110 Milam, which was completely gutted during the extensive remodeling project.

A sign on the building shows Restoration Builders is handling the office-to-home conversion project. The general contractor will not comment on the project, however, saying the owner does not want any publicity."

[marmer]

I'm pretty sure that the Houston Architectural Guidebook said that the structural damage was a result of the ?1936? flood of downtown, and that it stayed in that picturesque condition ever since. It was in the Magnolia Brewery entry; I'll have to check it when I get home.

Marty

[sevfiv]

love the building, hate the paint job

[dbigtex56]

love the building, hate the paint job

Ah, give it fifty years or so to mellow - it'll look great.

I'm impressed that someone not only saved an historic building, but also preserved the decayed portion in the rear AND has chosen to avoid the limelight.

How un-Houstonian!

[Subdude]

In the picture from the rear it looks like some of the cooling equipment is still there upstairs.

You can't tell in the front photo, but the white panels under the third floor windows have a magnolia flower emblem from the original brewery.

Speaking of which, on the Magnolia Brewery building next door there is a poster listing the businesses that have been in that location over the years. Interesting list. Bismarck Restaurant, Power Tools, Buffalo Bayou Flea Market (which was in the basement), and the Gingerman were listed, among others. I didn't know the Gingerman started there.

[dbigtex56]

Speaking of which, on the Magnolia Brewery building next door there is a poster listing the businesses that have been in that location over the years. Interesting list. Bismarck Restaurant, Power Tools, Buffalo Bayou Flea Market (which was in the basement), and the Gingerman were listed, among others. I didn't know the Gingerman started there.

Didn't Stages theater used to be located in that area prior to moving to the Allen Parkway location? I remember seeing their production of Bent downstairs and adjacent to the bayou in the early 80s - may have been where Power Tools was later located.

[Subdude]

Yep, Stages was listed on that poster as well.

[brucesw]

I'm pretty sure that the Houston Architectural Guidebook said that the structural damage was a result of the ?1936? flood of downtown, and that it stayed in that picturesque condition ever since. It was in the Magnolia Brewery entry; I'll have to check it when I get home.

Marty

This building was discussed on the January GHPA 'Downtown Historic Waterfront' tour (not to be confused with the Market Square tour coming up in April). It was part of the huge Houston Ice and Brewing Co. complex which spanned Buffalo Bayou. Much of the brewery complex on the south side of the bayou was washed away in a great flood in 1935; part of this building fell into the bayou.

The picture doesn't show the irregular window over looking the remains of the Magnolia Brewery; the glass was shaped to fit the gap in the wall left from the partial destruction of the building in 1935.

In that flood, the Sears store at Buffalo Drive and Lincoln (more commonly known as the Robertson Warehouse at Allan Parkway and Montrose these days) had water up to the second floor and Sears considered abandoning it and did eventually.

GHPA needs to sell cassettes or scripts of its tours; there was way too much information covered in that tour to remember it all.

[Subdude]

The December 1935 flood:

The Magnolia Brewing Complex is on the far right center of the picture.

The Sears on Main at Wheeler opened I think in 1939, so they probably decided to abandon the Buffalo Drive store not long after the flood.

[emil76]

I believe this is the irregular window you were referring to. I also attended the GHPA walking tour in January and enjoyed it immensely.

[brucesw]

I believe this is the irregular window you were referring to. I also attended the GHPA walking tour in January and enjoyed it immensely.

Yes, that's it. The tour was awfully long; I think more than half my group dropped out before it was over. But very interesting.

The Sears on Main at Wheeler opened I think in 1939, so they probably decided to abandon the Buffalo Drive store not long after the flood.

I came across a Sears newspaper ad from ca. 1946 recently; there were only 2 Sears stores then, Main at Richmond and Harrisburg at Wayside. I would have thought there would have been more by then.

[houstonmacbro]

Thanks for sharing that. I am not sure I've ever seen it before. Does anyone remember the old Best building out on I45 South? It was made to look like it was collapsing as well. I think it was eventually torn down.

[mwkellner]

Thanks for sharing that. I am not sure I've ever seen it before. Does anyone remember the old Best building out on I45 South? It was made to look like it was collapsing as well. I think it was eventually torn down.

I was also on the wlaking tour in January and try to attend as many as I can, I love them.

I was very young but can remember a store near sagemont (pasadena) that had a uge pile of bricks made to look as if they had fallen off the front of the building. I am not sure if the one I remember was on I45 or not, but it must have been near.

[H-Town Man]

I'm pretty sure that the Houston Architectural Guidebook said that the structural damage was a result of the ?1936? flood of downtown, and that it stayed in that picturesque condition ever since.

And just think of all the perfectly good, undamaged old buildings we've destroyed in that time....

[neuman]

Here are some photos of the building prior to and after the 1935 flood. I apologize for the quality but these are photocopies of the originals. Below each, I have written a brief description and where the originals can be found.

This portion of Houston Ice and Brewing extended over the bayou and wrapped around to connect with 110 Milam. The street in the foreground is Franklin and the Brewery Tap building can be seen in the lower right corner. This photo is in the Heritage Society collection, reference number 1:19:003.

This is a photo of the rear of the buildings after the 1929 flood. You can see the building from the previous photograph and 100 Milam is identified. While I am not sure about which collection this came from (either the collection at the University of Houston, main campus library or the Texas Room), the reference number RG-A 21a-57.

This is a photo taken after the 1935 flood showing the destruction of the buildings that spanned the bayou. 100 Milam is at teh top, center. While I am not sure about which collection this came from (either the collection at the University of Houston, main campus library or the Texas Room), the reference number RG-A 21a-54.

This photo is a closer view of 110 Milam after the 1935 flood. This is from the Texas Room collection, reference number MSS114-2127

[downtownian]

This building is going to enjoy some awesome views once the Post Office site is developed.

[mycroft]

I remember watching bit of the reconstruction of that building from the bayou-facing patio of the Magnolia Brewery basement - which was a goth club at the time called 'The Morgue'.  That whole stretch of Milam and Franklin is fascinating.  Between the multiple stories of the Magnolia Building, the redevelopment of 110 Milam, and the Donnellan Crypt, there's plenty for a Houstonia buff to get into there.

[Alec]

I started looking for info on this building after bike passed it on the Bayou trail; these are the coolest looking lofts in Houston in my opinion. Before I stumbled onto this thread, I was searching for Abesha Bunna Bet because that's what Google Maps has the building tagged as. Anyone know what the heck Abesha Bunna Bet is?

[The Pragmatist]

Here's more about the guy who owns it, if you care about that.

 

https://www.downtownhouston.org/news/article/small-steps-big-impact/

[hindesky]

Love the roof top pool.