Budweiser Brewery
St Louis, MO
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here is the historic Budweiser Brewery in St Louis, MO. This St Louis location is one of its 12 breweries that offer public tours (5 locations offer these tours).

The brewery remains open and continues to produce Budweiser while welcoming visitors for public tours and special events. The historic buildings have been carefully preserved, and the famous rooftop Budweiser sign is still lighting up the St. Louis skyline. 07-26

More photos can be found at Roadside Peek's Spotlight From the Road: Budweiser Brewery.

Sanders Plant (Demolished)
Detroit, MI
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here's the old Sanders Confectionery Plant in Detroit, MI. Even sitting abandoned, it's easy to imagine the days when this massive factory was busy turning out chocolate, hot fudge, and other sweet treats that became a Michigan tradition. By the time this photo was taken, the famous Sanders lettering had already disappeared from the front of the building. 06-07

For generations, Sanders was one of Detroit's best-known names. The company built a loyal following with its candy, baked goods, ice cream toppings, and dessert shops throughout the region. This Oakman Boulevard plant served as the heart of the operation for many years before production eventually moved elsewhere.

After Morley Candy Makers purchased Sanders in 2002, manufacturing was relocated to the suburbs, leaving the old factory behind. It didn't take long for the vacant building to begin showing its age, and without the large Sanders sign across the front, the place lost one of its most recognizable features.

Sanders Plant
Detroit, MI
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

It's always a little sad when an old factory like this goes quiet. Buildings that once smelled of chocolate and candy somehow seem even emptier after the machines stop running.

UPDATE: Sanders was a Detroit tradition for over a century when they closed down all the stores. The company that took over the Sanders name has started reopening them. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for update. 02-08

UPDATE: Unfortunately, the old Sanders plant is gone. The abandoned building was destroyed by fire in 2012 and later demolished, leaving the site vacant. The Sanders name lives on, but this longtime Detroit factory is now just a memory. 07-26

Annheuser-Busch
Grand Rapids, MI
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Here's the old Anheuser-Busch Icehouse in Grand Rapids, MI. At first glance it looks like a handsome old brick warehouse, but a closer look reveals a few clues to its past. The original Anheuser-Busch terra cotta medallions are still built into the exterior, making it easy to recognize the building's connection to the famous brewery. 07-08

Completed in 1905, the building wasn't a brewery at all. Instead, it served as an icehouse and cold-storage depot where refrigerated rail cars carrying Budweiser could be re-iced before continuing across Michigan. Long before refrigerated trucks, this was how beer stayed cold on its journey from St. Louis to taverns throughout the Midwest.

Annheuser-Busch terracotta building
Grand Rapids, MI
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

Buildings like this were an important part of Anheuser-Busch's growing distribution network. While local breweries were making beer nearby, the company was shipping its product hundreds of miles by rail, using facilities like this to keep everything cold along the way.

Fortunately, this building escaped the fate of many old industrial structures. Rather than being demolished, it was carefully restored and adapted for a new use. During the renovation, many of the original features were preserved, including the heavy timber framing, stable doors, and even the old roof cupola.

Annheuser-Busch logo
Grand Rapids, MI
Photo courtesy Richard Weiss

The Anheuser-Busch medallions are still the highlight. It's always fun finding details like these that connect a building to its original purpose more than a century later.

UPDATE: The old icehouse has been beautifully restored and now serves as the headquarters of the Grand Rapids Community Foundation. The historic brickwork and original Anheuser-Busch terra cotta medallions have been preserved, making this one of Michigan's best surviving reminders of the company's early distribution network. 07-26