Imperial Brewing Company (1902-2023)

Constructed in 1902, the ruins of the Imperial Brewing Company Building towered over I-35 for decades until its demolition in 2023, serving as a reminder of Kansas City's "golden age of brewing" in the early and mid-20th century. Located in the Westside neighborhood, the brewery began operations in 1902 and operated for around 80 years. The structure is a great example of Victorian and Romanesque architecture and is the only major brewery complex in the city that predates the era of Prohibition. The building was vacant for around half the amount of time it was occupied, leading to deterioration. A three-alarm fire in 2012 caused so much damage that attempts to restore and repurpose the sprawling structure became financially untenable. The structure was demolished in 2023.

In 1850, there were only two breweries in Kansas City but by the turn of the century, the population had skyrocketed and more than 300 saloons opened around town to serve a growing demand. Large breweries were needed to supply these venues with the amount of alcohol they needed to serve their customers. One of these was the Imperial Brewing Company. The company opened a brewing complex at this location in 1902, choosing this spot for its location near rail lines. The brewery itself, which was built in a Victorian-Romanesque Revival style, used a nearby cave to store their beer in a climate-controlled area.

Imperial became known for its signature lagers, Mayflower and Imperial Seal. In 1905, the company was absorbed by Kansas City Breweries Company, which led to an expansion of the company's line of products and manufacturing capacity. In its early years, Imperial could produce 50,000 barrels of beer per year, but at its peak after the buyout, this capacity had grown to 300,000 barrels per year. Kansas became a dry state in 1881 which led to increased opportunities for Missouri saloons and breweries. This also reflected the growth of Prohibitionist influence nationwide which includes Missouri, causing the overall demand for alcohol to drop slightly from its peak.

As Prohibition became the law of the land in the 1920s and early 1930s, the legal side of the alcohol industry ended. While bootleggers and speakeasies flourished, companies like Imperial Brewery were forced to close their doors or repurpose their facilities to create malts or other products. In 1919, the building was acquired by the Boulevard Mill, a company that milled and sold flour and was a cornerstone of the local grain industry. The other buildings in the former complex, including an icehouse, were torn down when the building changed hands.

The Boulevard Mill operated until the 1980s. Despite some efforts to sell the building, the former home of Imperial Brewery was vacant for three decades, which saw the structure repeatedly damaged by squatters, vandals, and a three-alarm fire in 2012 that destroyed much of the interior. Prior to its demolition in 2023, this structure was the only pre-Prohibition Era brewery still standing in Kansas City. Citing the structure's historical value, preservationists made repeated efforts to find creative uses that could fund the building's restoration. Ideas included converting the structure to a hotel or retail space, but cost estimates were discouraging and many in the area saw the damaged structure as a blight on their neighborhood.

SAVING IMPERIAL BREWERY, KANSAS CITY’S ONLY PRE-PROHIBITION BREWERY STANDING, Martin City Telegraph. July 20th, 2022. Accessed December 17th, 2022. https://martincitytelegraph.com/2022/07/20/saving-imperial-brewery-kansas-citys-only-pre-prohibition-brewery-standing/.

The Story Behind Kansas City's Oldest Standing Brewhouse, KCUR 89.3. December 15th, 2015. Accessed December 17th, 2022. https://www.kcur.org/show/central-standard/2015-12-15/the-story-behind-kansas-citys-oldest-standing-brewhouse.

Wells, Michael. OWNERS EYE RESTORATION OF IMPERIAL BREWING BUILDING, KC History. May 1st, 2017. Accessed December 17th, 2022. https://kchistory.org/blog/owners-eye-restoration-imperial-brewing-building.

Maxwell, H. James. Hometown Beer: A History of Kansas City’s Breweries.

Englebert Griffin, Michael. Imperial Brewing Company Brewery - National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, Missouri State Parks. January 31st, 2010. Accessed December 17th, 2022. https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/Imperial%20Brewing%20Co.%20Brewery.pdf.

Tjungblad, Tammy. Imperial Brewing, a familiar sight along I-35, razed after renovation hopes dashed Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article282509678.html#storylink=cpy, Kansas City Star. December 1st, 2023. Accessed May 31st, 2024. https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article282509678.html.