Motown Historical Museum
Detroit, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Here is the Motown Historical Museum on Grand Blvd., which is almost in the shadow of the massive Albert Kahn designed General Motors Building (now Cadillac place) in Detroit, MI. It is the home of Hitsvile USA. Home to the Temptations, Supremes, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, and many others.
The original Hitsville U.S.A. building is currently closed while a major expansion is completed. The historic building and its famous sign are being carefully preserved, and the museum is expected to reopen with expanded exhibits and visitor space in 2027. 07-26
Annheuser-Busch (Demolished)
Detroit, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Here is a small Anheuser-Busch building on Jefferson, just east of the Ambassador Bridge in Detroit. The building is simple but elegant and the Anheuser-Busch logo overhead did not hurt. It always seemed to be the perfect subject for a HO Scale model railroad structure kit. The first three pictures were taken on a cold overcast February 1986. About four years ago, someone had stolen (Or purchased?) the carved Anheuser-Busch logo. This building has now shown up in the list of Detroit buildings scheduled for demolition in 2008. Many thanks to Richard Weiss for info. 07-08
Here's an old Anheuser-Busch distribution building in Detroit, MI. Long before beer was hauled around by today's fleet of tractor-trailers, brick depots like this helped get Budweiser from St. Louis to cities across the Midwest. It's a simple industrial building, but it's a neat reminder of how the brewing business operated over a century ago.
Annheuser-Busch
Detroit, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Before Prohibition, Anheuser-Busch established distribution depots in major cities where refrigerated rail cars delivered beer for local storage and delivery. From there, horse-drawn wagons carried Budweiser to taverns, restaurants, hotels, and businesses throughout the city. It was an impressive system for its time and helped the company expand well beyond its St. Louis home.
The whole operation depended on refrigeration. Adolphus Busch invested heavily in refrigerated rail cars, allowing beer to travel hundreds of miles while staying fresh. That innovation helped transform Budweiser from a regional product into a national brand.
Annheuser-Busch logo removed
Detroit, MI Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
Unlike the grand brewery in St. Louis, these branch depots were built to get the job done. They weren't tourist attractions or showpieces. Instead, they quietly handled storage, shipping, and local deliveries, making them an important link between the brewery and the neighborhood tavern.
It's easy to picture this building during its busiest days, with rail cars unloading in the yard while delivery wagons lined up outside waiting for the next shipment. Buildings like this rarely get much attention, but they played a big part in keeping America's beer flowing.
UPDATE: Unfortunately, this old distribution building is gone. The exact details surrounding its demolition aren't clear, but the structure has disappeared, leaving only old photographs to document this small piece of Detroit's brewing history. 07-26
Annheuser-Busch
Peoria, IL Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The carved Anheuser-Busch name and eagle emblems give away this Peoria building’s earlier purpose. Its narrow, triangular shape makes it worth a second look before you even notice the stonework. Known as the Kickapoo Building, it certainly makes good use of an awkward corner. 07-08
Opened in 1911, it began as a brewery-affiliated saloon before Prohibition changed the business. Later uses included the Kickapoo Hotel, shops, and a dry cleaner. Its distinctive flatiron form survived while redevelopment removed many of Peoria’s diagonal streets and similarly shaped buildings.
UPDATE: The restored building contains commercial space and apartments and joined the National Register in 2014. Thirty-Thirty Coffee became one of its later tenants, trading one kind of brew for another beneath the surviving Anheuser-Busch emblems. 07-26
Forum Building
Quincy, IN Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The carved “FORUM” lettering gives this Forum Building in Quincy, Illinois, a name you can’t easily overlook. Its ornamental stonework makes a fitting introduction to a downtown building that has housed considerably more than one business. Earlier captions mistakenly placed Quincy in Indiana. 09-08
Built in 1876 for Ricker National Bank, the building was designed by architect John S. McKean. A matching addition expanded the frontage. In the early 1980s, it became known as The Forum nightclub, giving the former banking rooms a much livelier evening routine.
UPDATE: The preserved building now operates as The Corinthian Event Center. Its historic façade and Forum lettering remain, keeping an earlier identity visible through another change of use. Bank customers, nightclub crowds, and event guests have all passed through this downtown landmark. 07-26
S.J. Lesem Bros. Building
Quincy, IN Photo courtesy Richard Weiss
The tall windows and decorative brickwork at the S.J. Lesem Building make this Quincy, Illinois, warehouse worth inspecting. Built in 1871, it recalls the days when wholesale businesses filled this part of North Third Street. There’s plenty to admire above sidewalk level. 09-08
S.J. Lesem Brothers & Company moved into the building on February 29, 1872, supplying dry goods to regional merchants. River and rail connections helped support the trade. The building later housed Quincy Casket Company, adding another long commercial chapter.
UPDATE: The Lesem Building joined the National Register in 1999 and survives with lofts upstairs and restaurant space below. Its continued use keeps an important piece of Quincy’s wholesale history active, rather than leaving the old warehouse as an empty reminder of busier days. 07-26
Annheuser-Busch (Demolished)
Annheuser-Busch
Annheuser-Busch logo removed
Annheuser-Busch
Forum Building
S.J. Lesem Bros. Building
