This historic brewery in Minnesota was once a Saint Paul landmark. These photographs by Dan Turner of SUBSTREET show the rusted husk of a former brewhouse that enjoyed widespread success in its heyday, but not reflects only a fraction of its former luster.
The Hamm Brewery was founded in 1894 by Theodore Hamm, a German immigrant.
Hamm took advantage of the St. Paul's naturally pure well water to craft his brews.
The brewery also leveraged the native sandstone for use in constructing aging caves.
The business took off almost immediately. By 1910 the brewery was sending over 700,000 barrels across the Midwest.
That’s as much beer as breweries in the 1960s would eventually bottle.
The Hamm family made enough money from the brewery to erect a lavish mansion right behind their factory.
Today, only the stairs to the mansion remain after an arsonist torched the grand estate in 1954.
After World War II, the footprint of many breweries began to contract.
New refrigeration technologies meant that beer could be shipped across the country, and smaller local brewhouses began to suffer.
As the number of breweries in the U.S. dwindled to 250, Hamm claimed fifth place in the market.
However, Hamm Brewing began to suffer as more recognizable brands such as Coors and Miller expanded.
The company was sold twice before ending up in the hands of Pabst in 1983.
In 1997, the brewery shut down for good.
Today, much of the brewery has been demolished. What’s left of the original structures have become a popular destination for graffiti artists, vandals and urban explorers.
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